LAWRENCE  J.  GUTTER 

Collection  of  Chicogoono 

THE   UNIVERSITY   OF   ILLINOIS 
AT  CHICAGO 

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HOW 

THE    BANK    SNEAK 
WORKS 


THE 

PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  AND    OBSERVATION 

OF 

HARRY    SCHINDLER 

ALIAS  THE  "SWINDLER" 


TWENTY-TWO    YEARS   OF  A  BANK 
.      SNEAK'S  WORK  ACCURATELY 
PORTRAYED 


EDITED  BY 

EUGENE  A.   BOYLAN 


PUBLISHED   BY 

H.  S.  BURTON  &  CO. 

CHICAGO 


Copyrighted  by 
H.  S.    BURTON   &   CO. 


INTRODUCTORY 


In  placing  before  the  public  the  fruits  of  thirty 
years'  experience  as  a  bank  sneak,  it  is  primarily 
the  object  of  the  author  to  address  bank  employees 
and  others  charged  with  the  custody  of  money  in 
large  sums.  The  remarkable  success  attending 
many  of  our  exploits  in  the  purloining  of  valuable 
securities  was  manifestly  attributable  to  carelessness, 
oversight  and  general  laxity  of  precaution  existing 
in  those  institutions  whose  cages  and  vaults  present, 
to  the  uninitiated,  an  aspect  of  impregnability.  We 
wish  to  state  at  the  outset  that  the  methods  of  loot- 
ing banks,  etc.,  as  described  in  this  volurhe  are 
those  which  actually  have  been  used  successfully  by 
the  author  or  his  associates  in  this  most  audacious 
of  all  criminal  enterprises.  What,  then,  makes  pos- 
sible the  continuance,  from  year  to  year,  of  this 
class  of  thievery?  Merely  this:  the  inexperience 
carelessness  or  unguarded  credulity  of  the  first  vic- 
tim and  the  absence,  heretofore,  of  any  adequate 
medium  through  which  to  disseminate  this  dearly 
acquired  information  for  the  safeguarding  of  others. 
In  attempting  to  supply  this  great  need,  it  is  our 
privilege  to  be  able  to  narrate  with  faithful  adher- 
ence to  truth,  many  representative  jobs  of  this  char- 


iv  Introductory 

acter,  thus  transmitting  the  experience  gleaned  b}^ 
the  sufferer  of  the  loss.  At  the  same  time  the  lime- 
light of  publicity  is  turned  upon  the  various  arti- 
fices which,  united,  make  up  the  stock  in  trade  of 
those  engaged  in  this  criminal  vocation.  Indeed, 
this  most  lucrative  of  all  criminal  pursuits  must 
appear  singularly  vulnerable  when  it  is  considered 
that  no  force  or  intimidation  is  employed,  and  success 
in  its  practice  can  obtain  only  as  long  as  no  person 
possessed  of  its  secrets  is  moved  to  lift  the  veil. 
The  incidents  related  are  told  with  serious,  honest 
intent,  and  if,  as  must  necessarily  follow,  their  nar- 
ration appeals,  momentarily,  to  man's  natural  in- 
terest in  thrilling  adventure  and  the  battle  of  wits, 
it  is,  at  the  same  time,  the  author's  belief  that  he 
will  be  able  to  incorporate  in  these  pages,  the  con- 
clusions upon  which  he  bases  his  thorough  con- 
viction that  it  pays  to  be  honest.  To  this  end  a 
chapter  will  be  devoted  to  some  reminiscences  of 
prison  hardships  and  deprivations.  Unfortunately, 
words  cannot  convey  any  conception  of  the  heart 
wrenching  which  attends  years  of  exile  from  friends 
and  loved  ones,  representing  as  this  does  the  very 
refinement  of  the  educated  convict's  suffering. 
Furthermore,  as  though  in  the  execution  of  a  just 
law  of  retribution',  the  easy  acquisition  of  immense 
sums  of  money  begets  a  taste  for,  and  dependence 
upon,  luxurious  modes  of  life,  which  render  more 
arduous  and  well  nigh  insufferable  the  rough  fare 
and  innumerable  humiliations  attending  penal  in- 
carceration.    But  one  need  not  suffer  conviction  in 


Introductory  v 

the  courts  before  he  tastes  the  bitter  fruit.  Only  a 
high  degree  of  personal  attainment  makes  it  pos- 
sible to  outwit  the  intelligence  of  those  who  stand 
guard  over  the  great  vein.s  and  arteries  of  com- 
merce Avhich  carry  currency  to  and  from  the  na- 
tional treasury.  It  is  an  almost  axiomatic  conclusion 
that  the  mental  achievements  which  make  it  pos- 
sible for  a  man  to  do  this,  the  most  difficult  work 
known  to  thieves,  will  be  accompanied  by  a  natural 
and  inalienable  desire  for  esteem  by  men  at  large. 
That,  one  cannot  steal.  And  perhaps  more  con- 
vincing than  anything  else  that  we  might  say 
upon  the  subject  will  be  the  author's  assertion 
(easily  substantiated)  that,  after  thirty  years  at  the 
game,  living  at  times  in  the  most  luxuriously- 
appointed  a])artnients,  he  is,  in  comparison,  well 
satisfied  with  his  present  humble  abode  and  con- 
tent to  battle  for  a  mere  livelihood  while  he  merits 
the  commendation,  rather  than  the  condemnation, 
of  honest  men. 


How   the    Bank    Sneak   Works 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  trade  of  bank  sneak  is  fundamentally  a  busi- 
ness of  silent  understanding.  In  general  practice 
the  work  is  undertaken  by  a  company  of  four.  This 
company,  in  the  common  vernacular,  is  designated 
as  a  "mob."  The  first  application  of  this  term 
must  have  been  made  in  a  facetious  spirit,  as  it 
comes  near  expressing  exactly  the  opposite  to  the 
true  modus  operandi  of  the  criminal  quartette.  Per- 
fect concert  of  action  is  of  the  most  vital  inpor- 
tance.  This  concertive  effort  must  be  spontaneous; 
no  set  of  rules,  however  experienced  their  author, 
could  cover  the  countless  emergencies  which  arise. 
Coming  together  in  a  bank  lobby  to  talk  it  over 
would  instantly  arouse  suspicion.  Even  signals  are 
none  too  safe  and  are  eschewed  except  as  required  by 
necessity.  One  might  say  that  this  harmonious  re- 
sult is  attained  through  instinctive  discernment  of 
just  what  assistance  the  other  needs  m  a  critical 
moment.  In  brief,  each  man  knows  just  the  right 
thing  to  do,  the  time  to  do  it ;  and  more  important 
than  all  else — he  does  it. 

Let  us  follow  the  organization  and  preliminary 
scout  of  a  so-called  "mob"  of  bank  thieves,  estab- 
lishing their  headquarters  in  Chicago.     Brown  has 

7 


8  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

been  living  in  sumptuous  ease,  but  the  few  thou- 
sands which  he  picked  out  of  the  last  haul  have  gone 
the  way  of  other  thousands  in  the  past,  and  Brown 
has  come  to  take  serious  thought  for  the  morrow. 
One  day  he  meets  Murray,  who,  like  himself,  is 
acknowledged  among  expert  thieves  to  be  a  good 
"bank  worker."  They  decide  to  "go  out."  Smith 
has  been  heard  of  recently  in  New  York.  They 
know  his  haunts  and  get  him  on  the  long  distance 
phone.  In  like  manner,  Ryan,  just  now  in  New 
Orleans,  is  gotten  in  touch  and  a  rendezvous  ar- 
ranged in  Chicago  for  the  coming  Wednesday. 

A  rendezvous — you  have  pictured  in  your  mind 
something  like  the  stage  conception  of  such  a  tryst- 
ing  place,  an  approach  through  alleys  and  dark  pas- 
sageways, a  half-lighted  room.  You  are  expecting 
men  to  convene  in  an  atmosphere  of  a.pprehension 
and  converse  nervously  in  guarded  undertones — al- 
together, something  suggestive  of  Guy  Fawkes  and 
his  band  of  conspirators.  Here  is  the  probable  real- 
ity. If  you  should  chance  to  be  there  you  would 
see  four  well-dressed  men  of  affairs  casually  meet 
and  recognize  each  other.  For  a  few  minutes  they 
would  converse  quietly  and  wath  no  air  of  concern. 
Then  they  would  drift  apart,  first  one,  then  another 
going  his  way. 

I  think  it  relevant  in  this  connection  to  give  a 
word  of  advice  to  those  whose  business  it  is  to  ap- 
prehend and  ward  off  crooked  operations.  Cashiers 
and  bank  men  have  an  eye  out  for  thieves — that  is 
they  think  they  have.     The  fact  is,  however,  that 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  9 

in  many  instances  they  are  scrutinizing  face  and 
demeanor  in  search  of  the  man  who  acts  like  a  thief. 
The  expert  thief  knows  this,  for  it  is  a  part  of  his 
business  to  be  familiar  with  his  opponent's  mental 
habits.  His  method  of  counteracting  is  beautifully 
simple — instead  of  acting  like  a  thief,  he  deports 
himself  after  the  manner  of  an  honest  man.  And 
the  successful  actor  must  all  but  arrive  at  conviction 
in  the  part  he  acts.  I  once  heard  a  newspaper  man 
say  that,  in  order  to  tell  a  good  lie,  a  man  must 
believe  *it  himself.  That  the  thief  cannot  experience 
the  satisfaction  of  honest  purpose,  is  a  fact  that  has 
been  brought  closely  home  to  the  author.  Yet  it 
is  a  fact  that  bank  thieves  incorporate  into  their 
work  so  many  of  the  acting  principles  which  win 
success  in  legitimate  pursuits,  and  so  absorbed  do 
they  become  in  the  game  which  they  play,  that  for 
the  time  at  least,  they  often  forget  their  true  status 
in  society.  They  act  like  business  men  because  they 
are  business  men.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  ignor- 
ing the  fact  that  their  business  is  destructive  rather 
than  constructive.  By  way  of  demonstration,  the 
author,  in  the  furtherance  of  his  attempt  to  acquire 
possession  of  a  satchel  containing  four  thousand 
dollars  in  gold,  found  it  necessary,  or  expedient, 
to  represent  himself  as  being  an  official  of  the  bank, 
in  whose  lobby  he  was  standing  with  the  owner  of 
the  money.  To  make  good  in  this  role  he  needed 
the  temporary  use  of  a  private  office.  Without  hes- 
itation he  stepped  into  the  room  where  sat  the  vice- 
president,   alone.     In  a  matter-of-fact  way  he  ex- 


10  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

plained  what  lie  needed  in  order  to  close  a  "big 
deal."  The  official  acquiesced  and  obligingly  stepped 
out  into  the  lobby,  having  no  thought  beyond  the 
accommodation  of  his  patrons.  This  v;as  done  in 
Chicago,  and  will  be  related  in  further  detail  upon 
another  page.  This  simply  illustrates  the  fact  that 
what  sometimes  looks  like  amazing  audacity  is,  in 
part,  due  to  intense  absorption  in  the  work  at  hand. 
Our  four  men  have  separated,  each  to  work  sep- 
arately until  one  has  located  a  "getable"  job  that 
will  warrant  the  co-operation  of  the  others.  Until 
the  date  arranged  for  their  meeting,  say,  a  week 
later,  they  do  not  see  each  other.  They  do  not 
even  stop  at  the  same  hotel  while  in  Chicago.  It 
has  been  arranged  that  each  man  take  a  night 
run  out  of  Chicago,  leaving  Friday  evening  and 
arriving  in  St.  Louis  or  Minneapolis,  or  Indianap- 
olis— or  whatever  may  be  the  city  selected — on  Sat- 
urday morning.  He  is  on  hand  Saturday  because 
it  is  pay-roll  day  and  large  sums  of  money  will  be 
drawn  out  and  carried  away  in  satchels  or  bags. 
Monday,  he  will  be  equally  alert  and  attentive  to 
business  because  he  knows  that  depositors  will  be 
bringing  in  considerable  amounts  which  represent 
the  accumulations  of  Saturday  afternoon  and  Sun- 
daj^ — greater  or  less,  according  to  the  character  of 
the  depositor's  business.  During  banking  hours, 
both  days,  the  thief  goes  from  one  bank  to  another. 
He  never  loiters ;  his  manner  is  brisk  and  energetic ; 
he  behaves  as  if  his  position  and  reputation  were 
assured   beyond   question;   he    has    always   a  good 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  11 

pretext  of  legitimate  business;  he  never  stares  or 
glances  furtively,  but  his  experienced  eye  compre- 
hends every  minute  detail  or  happening,  much  as  a 
trained  chess  player  might  instantly  discern  the 
status  of,  and  the  possibilities  in,  a  game. 

As  has  been  intimated,  this  trip  is  in  the  nature 
of  a  reconnoissance,  the  object  being,  on  Saturday, 
to  take  note  of  heavy  withdrawals  and  to  follow  or 
"tail"  the  messenger  to  his  firm,  noting  the  degree 
of  care  with  which  the  money  is  protected  in  tran- 
sit and  every  detail  as  to  route  followed,  etc.  If, 
after  reporting  to  his  confederates  at  their  next 
meeting  in  Chicago,  it  shall  appear  that  he  has 
located  the  most  promising  job,  the  following  week 
will  find  the  entire  company  on  the  scene,  intent 
upon  "tailing"  the  messenger  and,  if  possible,  se- 
curing his  valuable  package.  If  success  is  achieved 
it  will  be  through  artifice  rather  than  force.  A  re- 
sort to  force  would  be  a  descent  into  the  province 
of  the  hold-up  man.  In  many  instances  bank 
sneaks  do  not  even  carry  arms.  Monday's  observa- 
tions are  conducted  along  similar  lines,  except  that, 
the  money  having  been  deposited,  the  empty-handed 
messenger  is  "tailed"  to  his  starting  point.  But 
while  the  primary  object  of  this  preliminary  expe- 
dition is  to  reconnoiter,  the  sneak  is  at  all  times  pre- 
pared to  step  instantly  and  unhesitatingly  into  any 
unexpected  opening  which  may  be  offered  and  se- 
cure the  booty  single-handed.  The  author  recalls 
an  instance  of  this  kind  where  a  messenger  had 
been  followed  to  his  office  when,  to  the  utter  amaze- 


12  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

nieiit  of  the  thief  who  was  standing  in  the  hallway, 
the  trusted  but  unaccountably  careless  employee  of 
the  firm  tossed  his  heavy  bag  of  currency  upon  a 
table  in  an  unoccupied  room  and  in:imediately  de- 
parted upon  another  errand.  To  get  the  treasure 
required  no  more  adroitness  than  could  have  been 
connnanded  by  any  active  boy.  Indeed,  it  w^as  so 
easy  that,  in  the  slang  of  today,  ''it  was  a  shame  to 
do  it."  The  money  thus  obtained  unaided  by  the 
one  man  was  equally  divided  among  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  "mob."  No  undue  credit  to  the  success- 
ful thief,  for  the  practice  is  common  among  this 
class  of  workers  in  the  world  of  graft,  and  upon  a 
reputation  for  being  "square,"  acquired  in  this  or 
similar  manner,  depends  the  bank  sneak's  assur- 
ance of  assistance  in  hiring  counsel  and  "fixing" 
officials,  when  comes  the  inevitable  "fall." 

To  devote  more  space  to  describing  the  operations 
of  bank  sneaks  in  getting  money  while  it  is  in 
transit  to  and  from  the  bank  might  be  considered 
a  departure  from  the  purpose  of  this  book.  The 
motive,  as  outlined  in  the  introduction,  is  to  ac- 
quaint bank  men  with  the  usual  procedure  of  the 
"sneak"  while  he  is  endeavoring  to  outwit  them  in 
their  stronghold.  The  bank  sneak,  on  his  tour  of 
investigation,  has  always  in  mind  the  location  of  a 
"weak"  bank.  Should  he  discover  a  vault  or  cage 
that  ingenuity  and  nerve  might  render  accessible, 
he  will,  for  the  time  being,  abandon  the  pursuit  of 
gullible  messengers  and,  some  days  later,  the  entire 
"mob"  will  make  a  squadron  run  to  engage  with  the 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  13 

bank  force  in  a  battle  of  wits.  However,  before 
wasting  time  in  plannnig  an  attack  upon  vault, 
teller  or  cashier,  the  sneak  first  ascertains  whether 
the  bank  in  question  belongs  to  the  American 
Bankers  Association,  which  membership  would 
bring  it  under  direct  protection  of  "The  Eye."  It 
is  by  this  significant  term  that,Pinkerton's  National 
Detective  Agency  is  known  to  thieves.  The  degree 
of  respect  w^hich  most  bank  sneaks  entertain  for 
this  organization  may  be  well  illustrated  by  citing 
the  following  instance: 

In  1904  a  company  of  sneaks  stepped  into  one  of 
the  prominent  banks  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  after 
glancing  about  over  the  cage  windows  in  search  of 
the  usual  sign  denoting  membership  in  the  Asso- 
ciation, and  failing  to  find  one,  they  drew  the 
hasty  conclusion  that  this  was  not  "The  Eye's" 
bank.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  bank  did  be- 
long to  it  and  the  badge  which  they  sought 
was  overlooked  because  it  was  placed  upon  an 
iron  scroll  in  such  a  manner  that  it  was  not 
readily  discernible.  The  bank  v/as  robbed  without 
difficulty.  Three  or  four  thieves,  acting  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  "stalls,"  so  engaged  the  bank  men  in  con- 
versation or  by  other  means  distracted  their  atten- 
tion that  it  was  not  difficult  for  the  expert  sneak 
who  accomplished  the  actual  theft,  to  walk  boldly 
from  lobby  to  vault,  secure  the  coveted  box  of  se- 
curities, and  return  to  the  street.  When  the  box 
w^as  opened  it  was  discovered  that  it  contained  no 
less  than  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  bonds,  which  at 


14  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

that  time  were  rated  over  par  and  were  easily  nego- 
tiable. But  traveling  close  on  the  heels  of  seeming 
great  fortune,  came  the  intelligence  that  a  mis- 
take had  been  made  and  that  the  thieves  had  unwit- 
tingly molested  an  Association  bank.  Not  to  dwell 
longer  upon  this  incident,  let  it  sutlice  to  say  that, 
within  a  short  time,  a  member  of  the  Pinkerton 
firm  was  called  on  the  long  distance  telephone.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  wire,  in  an  eastern  city,  was  the 
leader  of  the  company  of  sneaks.  His  identity  was, 
up  to  that  time,  unknown  to  the  Agency.  Yet  he 
had  called  up  Mr.  Pinkerton  in  order  to  volunteer 
the  return  to  their  owners,  of  the  bonds,  un- 
touched. To  say  that  no  bank  belonging  to  the 
Association  is  ever  molested  by  bank  sneaks  would 
be  to  vouch  for  the  prudence  and  experience  of  all 
thieves.  Nevertheless,  reference  to  police  and  de- 
tective agency  reports  will  determine  how  great  has 
been  the  check  put  upon  crime  through  this  asso- 
ciation and  the  agency  which  protects  it. 

Getting  money  away  from  banks  themselves,  calls 
into  play  every  quality  of  nerve,  wit  and  ingenuity 
through  which  the  sneak  has  risen  to  eminence 
among  his  fellows.  He  must  act  any  role  required 
and  act  it  so  well  as  to  convince  of  genuineness 
rather  than  merely  suggest  it. — and  this,  perhaps, 
with  no  opportunity  to  practice  beforehand.  To 
be  sure,  after  each  member  of  the  designing  party 
has  thoroughly  familiarized  himself  with  everything 
worth  his  while  to  know  about  the  bank,  a  scheme 
is  carefuUv  vrorked  out  in  detail.     But — "The  best 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  15 

made  plans  o'  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee."  It 
not  unfrequently  occurs  that  when  the  fateful  hour 
comes  an  entirely  new  situation  confronts  the  depre- 
dators, new  men  in  old  places  and  old  men  in  new 
places,  and  various  other  unlooked  for  variations  in 
the  bank's  routine.  This  is  to  say  nothing  of  the 
contretemps  which  fate  will,  sooner  or  later,  spring 
upon  the  sneak.  When  it  comes,  woe  is  unto  him  if 
he  falters  or  drops  one  instant  from  the  carriage  he 
has  assumed. 

A  man  whom  the  author  knows  better  than  any- 
one else  once  essayed  to  enter  a  bank  vault  which 
was  protected  in  an  hitherto  unsuspected  manner.  In 
front  of  the  door  lay  an  innocent  looking  rubber  mat. 
The  size  and  position  of  this  mat  were  such  that  it 
was  impossible  to  enter  the  vault  without  stepping 
upon  it.  Now  this  mat  was  so  fitted  that  the  pressure 
of  a  foot  upon  it  closed  an  electric  circuit  and  in- 
stantly started  the  clamor  of  an  alarm  bell.  Our 
friend's  first  introduction  to  the  device  was  the 
sound  of  the  bell.  And  the  alarm  had  not  failed  of 
its  purpose.  Its  ringing  had  scarcely  ceased  when 
a  bank  man  confronted  the  intruder. 

Now  to  have  waited  for  the  bank  man's  query — 
''what  are  you  doing  here?" — would  have  put  the 
sneak  on  the  defensive,  which  was  not  at  all  where 
he  chose  to  be.  Truly,  the  psychological  moment 
had  come.  If  he  had  taken  thought  as  long  as  we 
have  consumed  in  the  telling,  the  handcuffs  would 
have  been  close  to  his  wrists.  Had  he  obeyed  that 
natural  impulse  to  take  to  his  heels,  he  might  have 


16  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

escaped  this  one  bank  man,  and  perhaps  the  others, 
but  to  outspeed  the  cry  of  "Stop,  thief!"  is  another 
matter.  The  thief  in  this  case  had  carefully  sup- 
plied himself  with  all  obtainable  information  con- 
cerning the  bank  and  its  personnel,  in  anticipation 
of  the  possibility  of  some  such  situation  as  this.  He 
knew  the  name  of  the  bank's  president;  let  us  call 
it  Mr.  Tajdor. 

There  is  one  note  in  a  man's  laughter  which  he 
strikes  only  when  he  is  heartily  amused  at  a  joke 
upon  himself.  The  sneak  struck  that  note.  "Ha, 
Ha!"— he  laughed— "I'll  be  hanged  if  he  didn't— 
the  cigars  are  on  me,  all  right" — and  then,  his  man- 
ner slightly  approaching  confidential  admission — 
"When  Mr.  Taylor  told  me  he  had  ])ut  that  thing 
there,  I  wouldn't  believe  it.  and  he  told  me  to  go 
and  try  it  for  myself." 

The  bank  man  was  hopelessly  disconcerted.  He 
must  weigh  the  suspicion  of  a  fleeting  instant 
against  a  most  plausible  explanation  in  the  present, 
and  what  tipped  the  scales  in  the  sneak's  favor  was 
the  bank  man's  fear  of  offending  a  man  of  possible 
influence.  While  he  was  concerned  with  this  judicial 
enigma,  the  thief  had  smilingly  departed — to  tell 
his  friends  about  that  joke! 

On  still  another  occasion  this  same  man  of  many 
adventures  was  so  deeply  engaged  in  rifling  a  large 
drawer  in  a  ticket  office  that  he  had  bent  low  and 
put  his  face  in  the  opening  in  order  that  he  might 
see  what  was  best  worth  taking — when  a  rough  arm 
was  thrown  over  his  shoulder.    To  have  started  erect 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  17 

in  alarm  or  defiance  would  have  been  fatal.  In- 
stead, he  bent  lower  and  thrust  his  arms  in  further, 
at  the  same  time  grumbling  and  swearing  because 
he  could  not  "find  it" — "Left  it  in  here  yesterday, 
you  know,  and  now,  where  the — oh,  here  it  is." 
With  this,  he  seized  some  scrap  paper,  manifestly 
of  no  money  value,  and  holding  it  ostentatiously 
in  his  hand,  brushed  past  the  puzzled  clerk.  Such 
an  air  of  assurance  did  he  assume  that  one  might 
have  expected  him  to  be  dumbfounded  were  a  word 
of  suspicion  addressed  to  him.  During  that  pre- 
cious moment  when  the  clerk  should  have  been  scan- 
ning the  man's  face,  he  was,  instead,  confining  his 
gaze  to  the  scrap  paper  carried  in  hand. 

If  the  reader  has  any  doubt  as  to  whether  escape 
could  have  been  effected  in  such  a  manner,  we  can 
only  assure  him  that  the  foregoing  incidents  are 
not  fiction  but  are  personal  experiences.  They  are 
related  because  it  is  our  wish  to  prove,  for  the  bank 
man's  future  benefit,  just  what  may  be  accomplished 
in  the  way  of  assuming  the  "belong  there"  manner, 
and  by  virtue  of  its  efficacy  in  disarming  suspicion, 
to  pass  boldly  among  employees,  even  to  the  extent 
of  entering  a  vault  and  coming  out  in  plain  view 
without  arousing  suspicion. 

The  heading  of  this  chapter  is  a  most  compre- 
hensive subject  and  it  is  evident  that,  thus  far,  we 
have  accomplished  nothing  more  than  a  bald  intro- 
duction to  the  bank  sneak  and  thrown  only  a  dim 
light  upon  what  the  bank  man  must  contend  with. 
Successful   ruse   and   subterfuge    can   spring   alone 


18  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

from  inherent  and  highly  developed  inventiveness 
as  well  as  perfect  self-command.  If  these  remarks 
concerning  the  bank  sneak  sound  laudatory,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  no  attempt  was  made  to  dwell 
upon  the  moral  aspect  of  the  business.  The  assump- 
tion is  that  this  would  not  be  necessary  in  addressing 
bank  men  and  officials.  The  bank  sneak  succeeds 
through  nerve  and  ingenuity,  and  we  think  that 
most  business  men  will  agree  with  us  that  it  is  an 
act  of  wisdom  to  count  the  enemy's  guns. 

In  the  ensuing  chapter,  and  others  which  fol- 
low, a  description  will  be  given  of  actual  work  done 
by  bank  sneaks  of  international  reputation.  No 
play  will  be  made  for  dramatic  effect,  the  sole  object 
being  to  open  the  bank  man's  eyes  to  the  nature 
of  what  he  may  sometime  encounter  if  he  continues 
in  the  business  of  handling  large  sums  of  money. 
As  far  as  possible,  dates,  names  and  places  will  be 
stated  accurately,  in  order  that  the  curious  or  skep- 
tical may  have  no  difficulty  in  referring  to  detective 
agency  reports.  In  respect  to  names,  we  wish  to 
add  that  the  author's  pseudonym,  ''The  Swindler," 
derived  its  origin  from  the  name,  Schindler,  an 
alias  with  which  he  protected  his  identity  when  he 
experienced  the  first  "fall"  in  his  crooked  career. 


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Ilow  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  APPLE  VENDER. 

8oiiieiiuio  ill  the  month  of  May,  1885,  "The  Swin- 
dler" was  released  from  a  western  penitentiary  on 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  He  w^ent  immediately  to 
Windsor,  Canada,  where  he  knew  a  welcome  awaited 
him  in  the  comfortable  home  of  Tom  Bigelow,  an 
expert  English  bank  "stall."  Bigelow  was,  at  this 
time,  about  fifty  years  old,  and  a  man  of  exception- 
ally good  appearance.  Nearly  six  feet  in  height, 
of  portly  build  and  strong  mold  of  countenance, 
one  might  have  been  impressed  with  his  marked 
resemblance  to  James  G.  Blaine.  He  dressed  as  a 
prosperous  and  refined  business  man,  whose  car- 
riage and  manner  were  naturally  his.  Had  you 
seen  him  stepping  leisurely  down  the  steps  of  a 
bank,  your  conjecture  might  have  cast  him  in  the 
role  of  president  or  director.  Instead — he  could 
scarcely  write  his  own  name,  and  his  cozy  home 
had  been  bought  with  the  proceeds  of  an  amazing 
criminal  career. 

Now  the  meeting  of  these  two  men  may  be  con- 
sidered the  incipient  formation  of  a  "mob"  which 
visited  Pittsburg  some  two  months  later.  As  a  re- 
sult of  that  visit,  there  are  bank  officials  who  would 
affirm  that  even  a  youthful  apple  vender  may  have 
his  wiles.  It  was  not  purposed  by  either  of  these  two 
men  to  assume  the  management  of  the  expedition. 


22  Hoiu  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

The  reason  was  this:  both  knew,  and  had  worked 
with,  one  "Jimmie"  Carroll.  All  familiar  with  the 
lights  in  the  world  of  graft  acknowledged  the  match- 
less skill  of  this  captain  of  bank  sneaks.  If  you 
Avould  form  an  apt  conception  of  the  latter's  appear- 
ance and  personality,  picture  in  your  mind  a  man 
of  medium  build,  somewhat  slight,  perhaps,  who 
in  every  detail  of  manner  and  mien  suggested  the 
keen,  shrewd  head  of  a  business  concern.  Quick 
and  alert,  direct  and  incisive  in  speech  and  man- 
nerism, having  withal  the  air  of  a  born  leader,  one 
could  scarcely  have  believed  that,  but  a  few  months 
gone,  he  had  been  subordinated  to  the  strict  rules 
and  nerve-racking  discipline  of  prison  life.  He  had 
been  released  from  the  penitentiary  at  Montreal 
some  time  in  the  month  of  February  preceding  the 
incidents  here  related. 

When  a  communication  from  Bigelow  acquainted 
Carroll  with  "The  Swindler's"  advent  in  Windsor,  he 
at  once  travelled  hither,  divining,  as  had  the  others, 
the  possibility  of  getting  together  a  company  of 
men  fitted  to  accomplish  difficult  and  dangerous 
work.  These  three  men  met  in  Windsor  on  the 
10th  or  11th  of  June.  "The  Swindler,"  at  that 
time,  was  but  twenty  years  old.  However,  young 
as  he  was,  the  older  heads  recognized  in  him  the 
making  of  a  skillful  thief.  Furthermore,  his  age 
and  physical  makeup  were  such  as  to  disarm  sus- 
picion. Indeed,  being  of  small  stature,  and  of  un- 
commonly  youthful    appearance,    he    could,    when 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  28 

dressed  for  the  part,  easily  have  passed  for  a  boy  of 
fourteen. 

The  fourth  man  was  Watt  Jones,  and  he,  too, 
had  been  "put  away,"  being  locked  up  in  the  peni- 
tentiary at  Montreal.  But  the  five-year  sentence 
was  near  a  finish,  he  being  due  to  regain  his  liberty 
on  the  3rd  of  July.  They  needed  this  man  to  com- 
plete their  formidable  quartette,  so  they  waited  for 
him.  The  interval  which  elapsed  before  Jones  was 
discharged  from  "stir''  was  employed  by  Carroll  in 
making  a  tour  ot  the  East  to  locate  something  worth 
the  while  of  his  exceptional  crew.  He  found  in 
Pittsburg  what  he  sought  and  straightway  put  into 
action  his  mental  energy,  all  of  which  was  needed 
in  plotting  to  take  money  from  under  the  noses  of 
seven  men. 

At  last  the  day  came  when  Watt  Jones  stepped 
from  "life  behind  the  bars"  back  into  the  ways  and 
means  of  luxury — for  Jones  was  a  high  liver.  If 
he  had  told  you  that  he  was  a  prosperous  broker, 
you  would  have  glanced  at  this  trim,  slender,  black- 
bearded,  natty  looking  man  of  thirty-seven,  and  been 
obliged  to  concede,  at  least,  that  he  looked  the  part. 

About  the  end  of  July  the  play  opened  in  Pitts- 
burg. Not  a  sign  or  sound  betokened  to  the  peo- 
ple of  that  city  that  the  curtain  had  risen  upon  so 
unique  a  drama.  In  the  near  neighborhood  of  the 
bank,  however,  was  a  certain  office  building.  The 
two  buildings  were  so  situated  that  each  was  sep- 
arated from  the  other  by  a  narrow  space  only. 
From  one  of  the  upper  windows  of  that  office  build- 


24  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

iiig,  one  could,  by  looking  across  and  slightly  be- 
iow,  sec  into  the  offices  of  the  bank  and  with  little 
difficulty  note  almost  everything  that  occurred  in 
the  routine  of  the  bank  man's  duties.  In  this  office 
building  window  a  figure  had  appeared.  For  six 
days,  from  nine  until  three,  he  maintained  his 
watch.  It  was  "The  Swindler."  True  to  Carroll's 
orders,  he  observed  every  movement  which  the  men 
made  in  the  course  of  banking  hours.  The  time 
when  each  came  and  again  the  hour  of  his  departure 
were  jotted  down  in  "The  Swindler's"  notebook. 
The  result  was  that,  at  the  week's  end,  Carroll  had 
but  to  mention  an  hour  and  his  young  accomplice 
could  tell  about  what  situation  one  might  expect 
to  encounter  in  the  bank  at  that  time — how^  many 
employees  were  likely  to  be  in  the  office  at  that 
hour,  what  the  duties  of  each  were,  where  and  in 
what  position  each  sat  or  stood  while  he  performed 
his  work,  and  in  addition,  ]:»erhaps.  «ome  observ- 
ance as  to  whether  the  tellers  or  bookkeepers  were 
methodical  or  erratic  in  the  performance  of  their 
accustomed  labors. 

And  the  other  conspirators  had  by  no  means 
wasted  their  time.  There  were  seven  men  to  be  dis- 
posed of  when  the  job  was  done,  and  thou'gh  Carroll 
"was  reasonably  confident  that  his  scheme  could  be 
carried  out  by  himself  and  his  trained  co-workers, 
still  he  was  too  old  a  campaigner  to  ignore  those 
warning  words  which  have  been  handed  down 
through  generations:  "There's  many  a  slip  twixt 
the  cup  and  the  lip."     With  a  view  to  preparing 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  25 

for  any  exigency  which  might  possibly  arise  at  a 
critical  moment,  he  set  about  learning  everythin/^, 
"knowable"  in  the  daily  lives  of  the  men.  It  di'( 
not  satisfy  him  that  he  could  now  predict  almdit 
every  move  they  were  apt  to  make  during  office 
hours.  He  must  further  ascertain  the  principal 
facts  concerning  their  residences,  families,  social 
habits,  etc.  To  this  end  they  were  shadowed  until 
Carroll  knew  his  opponents  better  than  did  some 
of  their  relatives. 

This  delving  for  general  information  turned  up 
a  circumstance  which  materially  furthered  the  suc- 
cessful culmination  of  Carroll's  plans.  If  the  reader 
will  refer  to  the  diagram  which  is  shown  in  con- 
nection with  this  chapter  he  will  note  the  location 
of  a  large  plate  glass  window,  opening  upon  the 
street  from  one  end  of  the  desk  room.  Now,  this 
window  Avas  disfigured  by  a  long  crack.  The  build- 
ing was  owned  by  a  lady  whom  we  will  call  Mrs. 
Hall,  and  .was  leased  by  the  bank  company;  and 
between  owner  and  lessee  had  arisen  a  dispute  as 
to  who  should  be  called  upon  to  fit  this  window  with 
a  whole  pane  of  glass.  In  the  meantime  the  bank 
men,  who  had  a  natural  pride  in  the  appearance  of 
their  office,  were  annoyed  by  this  disfigurement. 
Just  how  this  unsettled  controversy  played  into 
Carroll's  hands  will  be  told  later  on. 

At  this  juncture  we  introduce  the  "Apple  Ven- 
der." If  the  reader  will  recall  what  was  said  regard- 
ing "The  Swindler's"  youth  and  stature,  coupled 
with  his  peculiarly  deceptive  appearance  as  to  age. 


26  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

lie  will  have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing,  in  his  new 
role,  the  young  man  who  had  for  some  days  past 
been  spying  upon  the  bank  from  the  office  build- 
ing window.  Permission  was  readily  obtained  for 
establishing  a  small  fruit  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
bank  steps.  (See  diagram.)  The  boy  in  charge  of 
this  small  stock  of  apples  was  dressed,  with  seeming 
appropriateness,  in  knickerbockers  and  the  other 
habiliments  suitable  to  a  lad  of  fourteen. 

This  placing  of  "The  Swindler"  at  the  very  door 
of  the  bank  in  a  capacity  seemingly  so  natural  and 
harmless,  may  be  spoken  of  as  the  first  lead  of  the 
thieves  in  the  actual  playing  of  their  hand.  There- 
fore, it  is  timely  to  say  a  few  words  concerning  the 
men  who  constituted  the  bank's  daily  working  force. 
This  force  numbered  seven  and  consisted  of  the 
president,  two  directors,  a  bookkeeper  and  three 
tellers.  The  president's  room  with  the  original  lo- 
cation and  positioin  of  his  desk  is  indicated  in  the 
drawing,  dotted  lines  showing  the  alteration  effected 
by  the  "Apple  Vender."  The  two  directors,  while 
at  the  bank  in  their  accustomed  place,  could  be 
found  at  the  desk  designated  by  our  draughtsman. 
The  bookkeeper  sitting  at  his  desk  jaced  the  broken 
window,  to  which  reference  has  previously  been 
made.  The  three  tellers,  of  course,  were  called  by 
their  business  to  spend  most  of  their  time  in  front 
of  the  three  windows  marked,  "T  T  T."  As  the 
paying  teller  was  the  only  one  of  the  three  tellers 
who  was  present  in  the  room  when  the  actual  theft 
was  committed,  it  will  be  sufficient,  in  respect  to 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  27 

their  relative  positions,  to  state  that  his  was  the 
place  next  the  window.  A  reserve  supply  of  money 
for  use  in  the  day's  transactions,  was  for  conven- 
ience taken  from  the  vault  and  placed  upon  a  shelf 
flanking  the  wall  behind  the  tellers,  and  which,  on 
the  diagram,  is  indicated  by  dollar  signs.  This 
was  the  goal  of  the  sneak.  Rather  than  weary  the 
reader  by  too  frequent  reference  to  the  drawing, 
we  will  proceed  to  follow  the  various  moves  in  the 
game  after  calling  attention  to  the  location  of  a 
small  gate  beside  the  note  teller's  window. 

Now  the  bank  president,  although  he  still  kept 
regular  hours*  in  his  office,  was  an  old  and  feeble 
man.  Here  was  the  "Apple  Vender's"  opportunity 
so  to  ingratiate  himself  that  he  became  a  familiar 
figure  in  the  bank  lobby.  He  began  with  a  proffer 
of  assistance  when  the  old  gentleman  alighted  in  the 
morning,  and  from  the  date  of  his  entry  into  the 
apple  business  he  assiduously  cultivated  every  oppor- 
tunity to  be  of  service  to  the  aged  president.  At  all 
times  he  affected  the  happy,  care-free  manner  of  a 
willing  young  lad.  After  the  first  service  which  he 
rendered  at  the  curb  and  the  sale  of  a  few  apples  with 
which  he  was  rewarded,  a  few  days  so  demonstrated 
his  usefulness  in  the  capacity  of  attendant  that  the 
bank  men  were  accustomed  to  seeing  him  pass  before 
their  windows  supporting  the  arm  of  the  president. 
And  the  service  was  not  deemed  well  performed  by 
this  courteous  lad  until  he  had  escorted  the  president 
to  his  private  office,  adjusted  the  latter's  chair  and 
provided  him  with  his  slippers.    It  is  noted  that  the 


28  Row  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

president's  office,  reached  by  walking  the  length  of 
the  lobby  in  front  of  the  tellers'  windows,  thence 
through  an  intervening  room,  was  in  turn  immedi- 
ately adjacent  to  the  space  behind  the  bank  fixtures 
wherein  the  clerks  did  their  work  and  in  which,  dur- 
ing banking  hours,  the  money  was  openly  spread 
upon  the  shelf,  marked  $  $  $.  The  position  of  the 
president's  desk  had  been  such  that,  when  seated,  he 
faced  the  door  leading  into  this  room.  Now,  the  "Ap- 
ple Vender,"  who  like  his  fellows,  was  intent  upon 
lessening,  as  far  as  pos.sible  the  necessarily  great  risk 
that  must  attend  the  theft  of  the  money  from  the 
shelf,  had  succeeded  in  moving  the  old  gentleman's 
desk  into  such  a  position  that,  while  seated  before  it, 
the  president  would  not  be  apt  to  see  what  was 
transpiring  among  the  clerks.  This  w^as  not  done 
at  any  one  time,  but  was  accomplished,  a  few  inches 
each  visit,  during  the  last  three  or  four  days  when 
the  boy  hd  advanced  so  far  in  the  old  man's  favor 
as  to  be  permitted  to  place  the  chair  and  bring  the 
slippers.  As  it  transpired,  however,  this  precaution 
was  unnecessary  for  the  reason  that,  when  the  mo- 
ment finally  came  for  the  sneak  to  do  his  work,  the 
president  w^s  peacefully  dozing  and  entirely  obliv- 
ious to  what  might  be  going  on  in  his  office. 

In  the  narration  of  the  ''Apple  Vender's"  proced- 
ure in  the  plot  we  have  passed  over  a  period  of  one 
week.  While  "The  Swindler"  was  thus  engaged  in 
playing  a  juvenile  part,  the  other  members  of  the 
"mob"  had  perfected  their  plans  and  obtained  till 
the  data  necessary  to  make  good,  each  in  his  separate 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  29 

role.  At  last  everything  was  ready  and  Carroll  had 
given  his  final  orders  to  his  men.  The  sneak  who 
was  to  secure  the  booty,  and  who  in  this  particular 
case  was  "The  Swindler/'  was  instructed  to  carry  no 
loose  change  or  keys  or  other  articles  liable  to  jingle 
and  attract  attention.  To  the  further  end  of  making 
silent  movement  possible  he  wore  a  pair  of  shoes 
whose  soles  were  specially  treated  and  proof  against 
squeak.  These  shoes,  by-the-way,  were  manufac- 
tured for  "the  trade"  by  a  man  who  understood  its 
peculiar  needs  and  were  sold  at  $14.00  a  pair. 

The  reader  is  to  understand  that,  from  now  on, 
each  incident  related  is  a  part  of  the  carefully  per- 
fected plot  and  the  characters  referred  to,  insofar  as 
they  are  other  than  the  clerks  and  officials  of  the 
bank,  are  members  of  the  "mob"  of  expert  bank 
thieves,  whose  organization  was  conceived  in  Wind- 
sor, Canada. 

Shortly  before  noon  on  the  last  day,  a  "bogus" 
note  by  messenger  informed  the  note  teller  that  his 
mother,  living  in  a  distant  suburb,  had  received  a 
serious  injury.  The  note  was  so  ambiguously  worded 
as  to  suggest  an  attempt  to  reserve  some  of  the 
alarming  truth  regarding  the  unfortunate  affair. 
This  ruse  was  instantly  successful.  The  note  teller 
departed  at  once  upon  a  trip  which  must  of  neces- 
sity consume  considerable  time,  and  thereby  the 
number  of  the  enemy's  pieces  was  reduced  to  six. 

Just  previous  to  the  note  teller's  departure,  Carroll 
purporting  to  be  'a  prospective  investor,  had  com- 
municated with  the  two  directors  and  arranged  that 


30  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

they  should  meet  him  in  a  near-by  restaurant,  in 
order  that  he  might  discuss  with  them  an  important 
''deal"  that  he  contemplated.  It  was  represented  to 
the  directors  that  this  deal  would  antagonize  the  in- 
terests of  certain  competitors,  who  were  on  the 
ground  and  closely  observing  his  movements.  The 
directors  were  able  to  understand  how,  should  these 
"competitors"  see  him  enter  the  bank,  they  might 
suspect  too  much  in  regard  to  the  game  of  finance 
they  were  j^laying.  If,  here,  the  credulity  of  these 
directors  strikes  the  reader  as  being  unusual,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  Carroll  was,  to  a  high  degree, 
fitted  by  nature  to  command  attention  as  a.  man  of 
affairs.  Let  us  also  reflect  that,  while  we  have  been 
able  to  watch,  step  by  step,  the  progress  of  this  plot 
against  the  bank,  the  officials,  at  that  time,  were 
entirely  unaware  how  soon  they  were  to  be  rudely 
jarred  from  the  tranquillity  of  their  fancied  secur- 
ity- 
There  were  now  left  four  men  to  be  "taken  care 
of,"  but,  as  has  been  previously  remarked,  the  aged 
president,  at  the  critical  moment,  was  dozing  in  his 
chair,  so  we  shall  hasten  on  to  describe  how,  when 
the  time  came,  one  of  the  remaining  three  was  en- 
ticed from  the  bank  and  the  eyes  of  the  other  two 
were  momentarily  turned  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
shelf  which  held  the  money. 

It  was  the  hour  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock 
and  the  lobby  w^as  empty,  when  in  came  a  sturdy 
looking  workman,  clad  in  overalls,  and  carrying  in 
his  hand  a  three-foot  rule,   while   his   pocket   con- 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  31 

tained  a  tape  line.  The  owner  of  the  building,  Mrs. 
Hall — he  announced  to  the  bank  men — had  sent 
him  to  measure  for  a  new  pane  to  replace  that  much- 
discussed  broken  glass.  So  delighted  were  the  clerks 
upon  learning  that  the  dispute  was  ended  and  that, 
at  last,  the  window  was  to  be  refitted,  that  they  mani- 
fested a  keen  desire  to  accommodate  the  glazier.  In- 
deed, in  their  eagerness,  they  opened  the  gate,  that 
the  workman  might  not  be  obliged  to  take  the  more 
circuitous  route  through  the  president's  room.  How- 
ever, this  incident  of  the  gate  did  not  facilitate  the 
theft,  inasmuch  as  the  gate  was  closed  again  and 
locked  with  a  snap  lock. 

Just  at  this  juncture,  the  "Apple  Vender"  entered 
the  bank  and,  approaching  the  receiving  teller,  told 
how  he  had  been  sent  in  by  a  gentleman  in  a  car- 
riage to  ask  the  teller  if  he  could  not  step  out  to  the 
curb,  inasmuch  as  the  business  was  rather  important. 
The  boy  also  told  the  reason  why  the  gentleman 
without  w^as  unable  to  leave  his  carriage  and  enter 
the  bank.  The  teller  glanced  through  the  window 
and  saw  what  w^ould  appear  to  corroborate  the  "Ap- 
ple Vender's"  explanation. 

Tom  Bigelow  has  been  described  as  bearing  a 
marked  resemblance  to  Blaine,  the  great. statesman. 
On  this  occasion  he  wore  a  long,  flowing  beard,  and 
as  he  sat  in  the  carriage  before  the  bank,  he  looked 
the  "prominent  citizen"  to  a  delicate  nicety.  The 
receiving  teller  noticed  that  the  horses  were  uncom- 
monly restive,  and  a  pair  of  crutches  which  Bigelow 
conspicuously  exposed  to  view,  seemed  to  indicate 


32  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

another  good  reason  why  the  driver  could  not  alight 
and  come  in.  In  a  moment,  the  receiving  teller  had 
responded  to  the  request,  while  the  "xVpple  Vender'' 
lingered  in  the  bank  to  gaze  with  boyish  interest  at 
the  mea>surements  which  Watt  Jones,  in  the  capac- 
ity of  glazier,  was  taking  of  that  long-quarreled-over 
broken  window. 

And  where  was  the  paying  teller  at  this  moment 
when  a  glance  over  his  shoulder  could  have  pre- 
vented the  theft  of  eight  thousand  dollars?  He  was 
stooping  low  with  his  head  all  but  buried  in  a  cor- 
ner, holding  a  tape  line!  The  glazier  stood  upon  the 
window  ledge  and  held  the  other  end  of  that  line. 
Scruj^ulously  exact  was  Jones  in  taking  this  meas- 
urement. At  tirst  the  tape  was  too  slack  and  again 
it  had  slipi3ed.  He  could  not  be  too  particular  as 
to  the  smallest  fraction  of  an  inch,  because  of  his 
interest  in  the  work,  thought  the  teller  and  book- 
keeper— because,  rather,  from  the  corner  of  his  eye 
he  saw  the  ''Apple  Venaer"  suddenly  cast  aside  his 
youthful  affectation  and  unhesitatingly  spring  at  the 
task  which  was  his  to  perform  in  the  capacity  of 
bank  sneak.  There  was  enough  risk  and  great 
enough  reward  to  impel  him  to  do  his  best,  and  if 
this  were  not  enough  there  was  still  another  incent- 
ive— he  was  under  the  sharp  eye  of  his  chief.  For 
Carroll,  who  was  supposed  to  be  entertaining  the  two 
directors  at  luncheon,  had  excused  himself  on  a  pre- 
text which  might  easily  account  for  his  absence  a 
few  minutes.  Leaving  the  directors  at  the  table,  he 
hurried  back  to  the  bank  where  he  knew  his  men, 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  33 

with  movements  quick  and  sure,  were  bringing 
things  to  a  climax.  AUhough  it  was  a  "slack"  hour, 
there  was  a  possibility  that  customers  might  enter. 
Carroll  was  on  hand  to  divert  their  attention. 

But,  as  it  happened  in  this  case,  the  unlooked  for 
did  not  occur.  Instead,  everything  moved  like  clock- 
work. The  old  president  dozed  peacefully  in  his 
chair;  the  two  directors  remained  at  the  restaurant 
table  awaiting  the  return  of  their  hospitable  ac- 
quaintance, who  was  planning  a  "deal;"  far  away, 
the  note  teller  was  hurrying  to  his  mother's  home; 
down  in  a  corner  by  the  window,  with  his  back  to  the 
room,  the  paying  teller  obligingly  assisted  Mr.  Jones, 
the  glazier,  in  the  use  of  that  tape  line,  while  facing 
them  at  his  desk  was  the  bookkeeper,  who,  if  not 
actually  absorbed  in  his  work,  would  naturally  be 
attracted  by  the  episode  of  the  window  measure- 
ment. In  this  manner  it  was  counted  that  the  book- 
keeper would  "take  care  of  himself,"  although  he 
was  close  to  the  shelf  containing  the  money,  and  in 
order  to  get  it,  the  Swindler  must  needs  pass  very 
close  to  him.  Without,  in  the  street,  a  seemingly 
commonplace  scene  was  being  enacted.  Bigelow 
explained  that  he  was  guardian  of  a  minor's  estate. 
He  produced  a  tin  box  which  he  informed  the  teller 
had  in  it  certain  documents  pertaining  to  a  trustee- 
ship. They  were  to  be  left  in  custody  of  the  bank. 
Taking  the  reins  in  one  hand,  he  felt  for  the  key 
to  open  that  box.  Just  then,  the  horses  became  most 
mettlesome.  "Whoa! — shouted  Bigelow — "Whoa, 
boys" — and  so  in  quieting  his  team  he  disposed  of 


34  Eoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

a.  couple  more  of  those  precious  minutes  during 
which  he  knew  "The  Swindler"  was  filling  a  sack 
with  money.  The  key  was  found  at  last  and  then  it 
transpired  that  the  keyhole  in  the  tin  box  had  be- 
come filled  with  mud — quite  accidentally,  one  might 
suppose,  but  in  this  case  very  accountably,  since  the 
mud  carefully  had  been  placed  in  it. 

And  thus  the  "stalls"  did  their  work,  and  "Cap- 
tain" Carroll  knew  that  he  had  not  made  any  mis- 
take in  their  selection.  And  "The  Swindler" — 
straight  to  the  goal  went  he.  He  slipped  from  lobby 
to  the  room  of  the  president,  where,  even  had  the 
latter  been  awake,  the  intrusion  of  the  "Apple 
Vender"  would  have  passed  unnoticed.  Crossing 
the  threshold  into  the  clerk's  office,  he  darted 
straight  to  the  shelf  whereon  were  distributed  pack- 
ages of  bills.  No  more  attempt  at  pretense.  Unless 
he  be  swift  and  silent,  the  game  was  up.  Passing 
close  behind  the  bookkeeper  he  reached  the  shelf 
where  he  thrust  his  booty  into  B,  sack  carried  for  that 
purpose.  Quickly  locating  the  bundles  containing 
notes  of  largest  amount,  he  secured  four  one  thou- 
sand dollar  packages  and  eight  bundles,  each  con- 
taining five  hundred  dollars,  amounting  in  all  to 
eight  thousand  dollars.  And  still  his  work  w^  not 
done  until  the  remaining  bundles  had  been  moved 
upon  the  shelf  into  such  position  that  no  noticeable 
gap  would  be  apt  to  disclose  the  "thinning  out"  that 
had  taken  place;  then  all  unobserved  by  the  bank 
men  he  quietly  effected  his  exit  as  he  had  come. 

The  coils  had  been  thrown  around  this  bank  so 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  35 

adroitly  that  none  of  the  men  suspected  anything 
wrong.  Now  that  the  treasure  was  taken,  there  was 
no  undiscipHned  break  and  run  on  the  part  of  the 
thieves,  whom  Jimmie  Carroll  had  drilled.  Instead, 
the  coils  were  loosened  as  gently  as  they  had  been 
drawn.  Watt, Jones,  the  glazier,  finished  his  meas- 
urements and  departed,  courteously  thanking  the 
paying  teller,  who  had  been  his  volunteered  assist- 
ant. Tom  Bigelow,  the  guardian,  discharged  his 
trust  and  drove  away.  To  be  sure,  Carroll  had  care- 
fully laid  his  plans  to  smuggle  "The  Swindler" 
through  an  adjoining  building,  should  immediate 
detection  follow  the  theft.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, the  shortage  in  currency  was  not  discovered 
until  something  over  two  hours  later  when  the  bank 
closed  for  the  day. 


36  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 


CHAPTER    III. 

TEN  THOUSAND  IN   WOOD. 

In  this  chapter  the  scene  is  shifted  across  the  con- 
tinent. But  little  more  than  a  month  had  elapsed 
since  Pittsburg  had  witnessed  the  transient  career 
of  the  "Apple  Vender/'  when,  one  quiet  day  in  Au- 
gust, the  town  bell  of  San  Jose,  California,  loosed  its 
clamor  at  the  unusual  hour  of  noon.  Though  the 
residents  of  the  town  were,  for  a  time,  mystified  by 
this  sudden  alarm,  there  were  two  men  driving  near 
the  outskirts  of  the  village,  to  whom  the  occasion 
for  the  din  was  deadly  clear.  Being  just  then  near 
a  small  creek,  they  halted  and,  taking  from  the 
buggy  two  cigar  boxes,  they  buried  them  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream.  After  a  few  minutes'  delibera- 
tion, however,  the  boxes  were  dug  up,  again  placed 
in  the  buggy,  and  the  horse  was  turned  toward  San 
Francisco,'  seventy-eight  miles  distant.  As  to  the 
amusing  adventure  which  befell  them  on  that  road 
a  word  will  be  added  later. 

These  incidents  formed  part  of  the  sequel  to  a  con- 
ference which  had  recently  been  called  in  San  Fran- 
cisco by  that  captain  of  crime,  Jimmie  Carroll.  In 
company  with  his  old  partners,  Bigelow  and  Jones, 
he  had  started  upon  a  tour  of  the  world.  Beside 
these  three  expert  bank  "stalls,"  already  introduced, 
there  was  in  the  party  a  man  of  acknowledged  pro- 
ficiency in  the  trade  of  "sneak."     It  has,  perhaps, 


o 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  39 

heretofore  been  (Overlooked  that,  in  the  technical 
parlance  of  this  class,  the  "sneak"  is  the  man  who 
actually  takes  the  money  while  the  ''stalls"  so  en- 
gage the  attention  of  anyone  who  may  be  in  the  way 
as  to  make  the  theft  possible. 

While  his  three  companions  were  enjoying  the 
bounties  of  San  Francisco,  Carroll,  he  of  the  long 
sharp  nose  and  business  bent,  had  made  the  circuit 
of  several  small  towns  with  a  view  of  "doing  some- 
thing." Now,  this  book  will,  no  doubt,  reach  many 
who  are  familiar  with  banking  usages  in  the  region 
of  the  Golden  Gate.  To  them  it  will  be  unnecessary 
to  explain  that,  here,  paper  money  is  used  compara- 
tively seldom.  The  Calif ornian  thinks  of  a  thou- 
sand dollars  as  a  pile  of  gold.  In  the  bank  which 
Carroll  had  located  in  San  Jose,  the  cashier  was  in 
the  habit  of  keeping,  readily  at  hand,  just  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  This  amount  was  placed  upon 
three  trays,  each  containing  twenty-five  stacks, 
twenty  pieces  in  a  stack.  A  reference  to  the  diagram 
will  show  the  position  of  the  table  bearing  these 
three  trays,  the  latter  marked  with  the  dollar  sign. 
Note  also  that  the  cashier  kept  these  trays  precisely 
placed,  their  edges  being  flush  with  the  outer  edge  of 
the  table.  This  custom  of  exactness  resulted  in  the 
early  alarm.  The  fact  that  this  treasure  laden  table 
was  immediately  behind  the  cashier  while  his  atten- 
tion was  engaged  at  the  window,  made  it  an  easy  task 
for  Watt  Jones,  in  the  role  of  customer,  to  divert 
this  clerk's  attention  while  the  theft  was  being  per- 
formed by  the  "sneak." 


40  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

But  it  would  not  do  for  the  cashier  to  scent  trou- 
ble the  instant  his  eyes  again  fell  upon  his  "lay  out" 
of  gold.  Carroll,  himself,  was  a  lover  of  precision, 
and  after  a  close  obsei*vance  he  determined  the  cash- 
ier to  be  a  man  of  method.  The  procedure  he  found 
to  be  this.  In  the  morning  the  three  trays  with 
their  burden  of  ten  thousand,  each,  were  taken  from 
the  vault  and  placed  upon  the  table  with  a  nice  at- 
tention to  position,  as  lias  been  observed.  From 
time  to  time,  as  the  stacks  of  double  eagles  were  de- 
pleted, they  were  replenished  by  drawing  upon  a 
reserve  supply  in  the  vault. 

The  diagram  shows  a  long  desk,  so  situated  that  it 
fell  to  the  right  of,  and  slightly  behind,  the  cashier 
as  he  faced  the  window.  This  was  the  bookkeeper's 
desk,  and  seated  behind  it,  he  Avould  have  obtained 
a  direct  view  of  the  money  tal>le  had  not  the  racks 
on  his  desk  been  so  filled  with  books  as  to  make  it 
impossible  for  him  to  see  a  man  creeping  across  the 
Hoor  on  his  hands  and  knees.  Two  other  desks  are 
shown  in  the  drawing,  but  at  the  time  the  job  was 
done,  the  customary  occupants  of  these  places  had 
gone  to  lunch  and  it  was  necessary  only  for  Carroll, 
standing  guard  without  the  bank,  to  keep  an  eye 
out  for  their  return.  Thus  it  appeared  to  the  thieves 
that  they  had  to  handle  but  two  men,  the  book- 
keeper and  the  cashier,  and  wdth  the  odds  in  point  of 
numbers  and  experience  so  heavily  upon  their  side, 
the  way  seemed  as  clear  as  it  often  gets  to  be  for 
men  in  this  perilous  vocation.  Indeed,  had  this  been 
their  first  work  of  the  kind,  they  might  have  been 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  41 

blinded,  and  undone,  by  assurance.  To  anticipate 
an  incident  of  the  narrative,  it  transpired  that  the 
untimely  happening  in  of  the  bank's  president 
sprung  such  a  contretemps  that,  for  a  brief,  hair- 
raising  interval,  there  was  suspended  over  the 
"sneak's"  head  a  sword  supported  by  the  slenderest 
of  hairs.  That  the  reader  may  better  understand, 
later  on,  the  account  of  this  incident,  we  call 
attention  to  the  entrance,  marked  "E,"  where  the 
sneak  entered,  and  the  location  of  the  president's 
room. 

Having  now  described  the  situation  as  it  was  at 
the  bank  when  Carroll's  ingenious  plan  was  put  to 
the  test,  let  us  consider  the  scheme  which  had  been 
well  conned  by  the  four  men  before  they  left  San 
Francisco,  with  also  a  word  concerning  the  "Ten 
Thousand  in  AVood"  which  temporarily  deprived  the 
cashier  of  his  senses.  Contemplating  that  discovery 
of  the  robbery  could  not  long  be  delayed  after  its 
perpetration,  and  the  train  service,  at  that  time,  be- 
ing such  that  it  might  be  necessary  to  Avait  some  time 
at  the  station,  Carroll  concluded  to  have  those  of  his 
men  who  were  to  carry  the  money  depart  from  San 
Jose  in  a  manner  less  conspicuous.  In  order  that 
such  a  "get  away"  might  be  prearranged,  the 
"sneak"  had  not  been  upon  the  train  that-brought 
Carroll,  Jones  and  Bigelow  from  San  Francisco  to 
San  Jose  on  the  forenoon  of  the  eventful  day.  In- 
stead, the  "sneak"  had,  the  day  previous,  departed 
from  San  Francisco  in  a  buggy  drawn  by  one  horse. 
About  twenty-five  miles  out  from  San  Francisco,  the 


42  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

horse  was  stabled  at  a  roadhouse  known  as  "Ben- 
nett's." Arrangements  were  made  for  the  animal's 
keej)  for  a  couple  of  days  and  a  team  hired  for  the 
next  relay  of  some  thirty-two  miles.  This  distance 
constituted  the  intermediate  relay,  and  from  the  sec- 
ond roadhouse  a  horse  and  buggy  took  the  "sneak" 
into  San  Jose,  a  distance  of  perhaps  twenty-two 
miles.  Upon  arrival  at  his  destination,  the  "sneak" 
tied  his  horse  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and  walked 
to  the  court  house  where  a  meeting  of  the  thieves 
had  been  arranged  to  take  place  at  eleven  o'clock, 
about  an  hour  previous  to  the  time  which  Carroll 
deemed  most  auspicious  for  robbing  the  bank. 

Now  a  tray  containing  five  hundred  twenty-dollar 
gold  pieces  is  a  delicate  thing  for  a  man  to  handle 
when  absolute  stealth  is  essential  and  one  tilt  from 
the  horizontal  would  spill  the  entire  contents  upon 
the  floor.  For  this  reason  it  was  decided  that  the 
"sneak"  would  have  on  his  hands  a  task  of  sufficient 
difficulty  in  getting  away  with  one  of  the  three  trays. 

The  four  men  who  accomplished  this  theft  were 
not  counterfeiters.  Yet  it  is  probable  that,  in  this  in- 
stance, they  introduced  an  innovation  in  the  business 
of  deception  with  "bogus"  currency.  The  trained 
eye  of  Carroll  held  such  a  perfect  impression  of  the 
trays  of  gold  used  in  this  bank,  that  upon  his  return 
to  San  Francisco  after  the  reconnoissance,  he  had 
been  able  accurately  to  supervise  the  manufacture 
of  a  tray,  nicely  corresponding  in  size,  and  provided 
with  twenty-five  gilded  cylinders,  so  modeled  and 
carved  as  exactly  to  match  in  appearance  the  stacks 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  43 

of  gold  coin  which  the  cashier  was  accustomed  to 
see  upon  his  table.  Even  milled  edges  were  not  for- 
gotten, and  only  by  close  inspection  or  testing  of 
weight  would  the  deception  become  apparent. 

Now  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  time  was  noon ; 
the  bank  was  quiet;  the  cashier  stood  between  the 
customers'  window  and  the  money  table;  the  book- 
keeper was  seated  on  a  stool  at  his  high  desk,  ab- 
sorbed in  his  work;  there  was  none  other  about,  the 
remainder  of  the  bank  force  being  absent  at  lunch 
or  elsewhere.  Without,  on  the  sidewalk,  near  the 
entrance  marked  "E,"  which  was  to  be  entered  by 
the  sneak  when  the  moment  came,  a  man  loitered. 
It  was  Tom  Bigelow,  doing  sentinel  duty.  With  a 
like  purpose  in  view,  Carroll  had  stationed  himself 
near  the  other  entrance,  marked  "H,"  which  would 
be  employed  by  one  having  business  with  the  cashier. 
If  it  appears  to  the  reader  that  Carroll  had  chosen 
to  enact  a  lesser  role  and  one  most  devoid  of  danger, 
there  is  proof  soon  to  be  given  that  by  thus  allowing 
himself  a  latitude  of  movement,  he  was  the  better 
able  to  protect  his  men  when  an  unlooked  for  emer- 
gency arose.  Down  the  street  came  a  horse  and 
buggy,  and  halting  at  the  bank  a  dapper  looking 
business  man  alighted  not  far  from  either  of  the 
two  men  just  mentioned.  But  there  was  no  saluta- 
tion of,  "Hello,  Jones."  The  three  confederates 
were  wiser  than  to  allow  any  sign  of  recognition. 
Into  the  bank  walked  the  experienced  "stall,"  and 
appearing  before  the  cashier's  window,  called  upon 
the  latter  for  a  sixty-five  dollar  draft  on  Switzerland. 


44  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

The  money,  he  had  in  small  denominations  of  gold 
and  silver.  In  his  time,  Watt  Jones  had  counted  a 
great  deal  of  money,  but  the  fact  would  not  have 
been  susj^ected  had  you  seen  him  bungle  the  passing 
over  to  the  cashier  of  this  small  amount.  And 
when,  in  turn,  the  cashier  essayed  to  verify  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  payment,  alas,  he  wa.s  unable  to  find 
the  sum  complete:  it  w^as  short  twenty-five  cents. 
Jones  remarked  this  as  strange  and  after  again  sort- 
ing out  the  small  coins  of  diversified  denomination, 
he  found  no  mistake.  However,  the  cashier's  next 
attempt  disclosed  a  further  discrepancy  of  a  half  dol- 
lar. Just  what  time  Jones  consumed  in  purchasing 
that  draft  on  Switzerland  is  of  no  moment  since  it 
must  be  apparent  that  it  w^as  long  enough  for  the 
purpose  so  little  suspected  by  the  cashier. 

Behind  the  cashier's  back,  things  were  happening. 
Almost  simultaneously  with  the  beginning  of  the 
draft  episode,  the  ''sneak"  had  passed  Bigelow  at  the 
entrance  marked  "E,"  and  moving  swiftly  through 
the  intervening  president's  room,  he  found  himself 
in  the  office  occupied  by  the  cashier  and  bookkeeper 
and  in  which  the  money-laden  table  appeared  as  his 
goal.  Without  hesitating  to  satisfy  himself  that 
Jones  was  able  to  hold  the  cashier's  attention,  but 
content  wdth  his  knowledge  of  his  confederate's 
skill,  he  dropped  upon  all  fours  and  glided  across 
the  floor. 

The  bookkeeper,  in  the  slang  of  the  world  of  graft, 
was  "taking  care  of  himself,"  being  intent  upon  his 
work,  and  at  any  rate,  from  his  seat  at  the  high  desk, 


Hoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  45 

unable  to  see  a  man  cross  the  floor,  unless  the  latter 
held  himself  erect.  This,  the  sneak  was  careful  not 
to  do.  Just  as  he  began  his  stealthy  advance  to  the 
side  of  the  table  where  the  vision  of  wealth  was  ar- 
rayed, there  was  commenced  an  irregular  rapping. 
It  would  be  well  for  the  bank  man  who  reads  this  to 
take  note  of  the  '^stock  trick"  which  liere  was  em- 
ployed by  Jones  at  the  cashier's  window,  in  addition 
to  that  other  imich  em]»loyed  ruse  of  counting  small 
change. 

In  his  liaiid,  Jones  carried  an  nml)rclla  with  a 
metal  handle — had  it  been  a  bnnch  of  keys,  an  odd 
coin  or  a  penknife,  it  would  have  served  as  well — 
and  as  he  saw  that  the  sneak  was  about  to  perform 
his  niost  diflicult  feat  of  purloining  the  heavy  tray 
of  metal,  the  "stall"  instituted  this  tapping  of  the 
counter  with  the  handle  of  his  umbrella.  To  the 
casual  observer,  it  was  seemingly  an  act  of  nervous- 
ness— to  the  initiated  it  marked  a  precaution 
against  any  inadvertent  noise  which  might  be  made 
by  the  ''sneak"  during  the  critical  period  of  his 
presence  in  the  room. 

The  sneak  elevated  both  outstretched  arms  to  the 
height  of  his  head,  and  as  he  knelt,  intent  of 
countenance,  and  with  every  nerve  strained,  he 
unconsciously  fell  into  a  pose  highly  suggestive  'of 
appeal.  Deftly,  one  of  the  trays  was  disengaged 
from  its  bearing  upon  the  table,  and  with  a  juggler's 
skill  it  was  lowered  to  the  floor  and  hastily  wrapped 
in  a  green  baize  bag. 


46  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

And  now  the  wooden  money.  The  sneak  had 
come  provided  with  his  ^'dummy"  tray  and  no  sooner 
had  he  secured  the  booty  than  he  reversed  the 
movements  of  the  preceding  moment  and  carefully 
placed  in  the  space  made  vacant,  the  device  which 
was  intended  to  allay  suspicion  until  the  cashier 
again  found  it  needful  to  draw  upon  his  stock  of 
gold — even  when  that  time  came,  there  being  still 
a  fair  chance  that  the  cashier  might  hit  upon  one 
of  the  two  yet  remaining  trays  of  genuine  coin.  Just 
what  might  have  been  disclosed  as  to  this  possibility 
was  never  known,  inasmuch  as  the  sneak,  in  his 
haste,  made  the  one  erratic  movement  to  mar  the 
completeness  of  his  achievement.  In  substituting 
the  "dummy"  tray,  although  Carroll  had  previously 
called  his  attention  to  this  detail,  he  failed  to  place 
it  so  that  its  edge  was  flush  with  the  others.  Instead, 
it  was  shoved  a  trifle  too  far,  its  inner  edge  protrud- 
ing to  a  degree  which  would  be  noticeable  to  the  ex- 
acting eye  of  the  cashier. 

It  will  not  be  difficult  to  see  how  the  "sneak"  was 
again  able  to  creep  across  the  floor,  richer  by  many 
thousands.  But  little  time  had  been  consumed  and 
Jones  had  not  yet  procured  his  draft,  the  purchase  of 
which  seemed  to  entail  so  much  counting  and  re- 
counting of  small  change. 

But — "a  game  is  never  out  until  it  is  played  out," 
and  the  president  of  the  bank,  all  unbeknown  to 
him,  appeared  on  the  scene  at  a  time,  when,  but  for 
the  instant  intervention  of  Tom  Bigelow,  quickly 
joined  in  his  need  by  Carroll,  the  "sneak"  might 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  47 

have  been  caught  red-handed  and  our  narrative  been 
brought  to  a  sudden  and  dismal  ending.  Just  as 
the  sneak,  with  his  bag  of  gold,  had  reached  the 
president's  private  office,  through  which  it  was  nec- 
essary for  him  to  pass  in  reaching  the  entrance, 
whence  he  had  come,  the  president  suddenly  ap- 
peared before  the  bank  and  started  to  enter — hy  that 
same  entrance.  At  this  untoward  turn  of  affairs, 
Bigelow  perceived  that  it  was  "his  move" — and  no 
time  to  waste,  at  that.  If  the  president  had  pro- 
ceeded without  interruption  he  would  have  encoun- 
tered the  "sneak"  at  the  door  of  his  office,  which  the 
latter  had  just  entered  from  the  inner  door.  But 
Bigelow  knew  what  to  do — and  he  did  it.  The  presi- 
dent had  but  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  bank 
entrance,  when  Bigelow,  with  a  quick  step  preceding 
him,  faced  about  and  confronted  the  official  whose 
presence  in  such  a  position  made  it  impossible  for 
the  sneak  to  further  effect  his  escape  with  the  money. 

Bigelow  was  glad  to  see  the  president.  He  had 
"been  waiting  for  some  time."  He  had  business 
which  it  would  take  but  a  minute  to  discuss.  The 
president,  being  accosted  by  a  person  who  looked 
every  inch,  "a  man  of  property,"  was  courteously 
attentive. 

Now  Carroll,  from  his  station  near  the  other 
entrance,  had  seen  the  president's  approach,  and 
comprehending  that  a  close  call  w^as  at  hand,  he 
hastened  to  Bigelow's  assistance.  Bigelow  was  still 
explaining  the  object  of  his  errand,  when  Carroll 
interposed  his  presence  and  announced  that  he,  too. 


48  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

had  business  of  importance  to  discuss  -with  the  presi- 
dent. So  the  latter's  attention  was  again  riveted 
and  Carrollj  himself,  was  in  command  of  the  situa- 
tion. Now  as  the  president  stood,  when  he  was  first 
accosted  by  Bigelow,  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  the  "sneak"  to  step  out  of  the  private  office 
without  meeting  its  rightful  owner,  face  to  face. 
But  the  work  of  the  "stalls"  chd  not  consist  alone  in 
arresting  the  president's  approach.  They  must  do 
something  to  make  possible  the  "sneak's"  passage 
through  this  entry-way  while  the  official  yet  Avas 
standing  in  it. 

When  Bigelow  turned  his  man  over  to  his  supe- 
rior, Carroll  had  taken  such  a  position  that  in  con- 
versation with  this  newcomer  the  president  natur- 
ally turned  with  his  back  to  the  door  of  the  room  in 
which  the  "sneak"  w^as  experiencing  the  sensation 
of  a  rat  in  a  trap.  But,  uncomfortable  as  the  situa- 
tion was,  that  man  of  burdensome  possessions  had 
not  lo.st  his  head,  and  was  still  determined  upon  get- 
ting away  with  the  golfl  which  he  carried.  Perceiv- 
ing how  Carroll  had  turned  the  president's  face  in 
the  direction  of  the  street  and  divining  what  his 
chief  expected  of  him,  the  "sneak"  stepped  noise- 
lessly out  into  the  entry-way  and  stood  within  two 
feet  of  the  president's  back.  The  "sneak's"  escape  was 
effected  by  a  shifting  of  position,  carefully 
engineered  by  Carroll  who  did  not,  for  an  instant 
allow  the  conversation  to  lag  or  lose  its  interest  for 
the  ju-esident.  Tn  order  that  this  movement  may  be 
more  grajthically  described,  let  us  suppose,  for  the 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  49 

mere  sake  of  illustration  that,  instead  of  a  footing 
on  the  floor  of  the  entry-way,  the  three  men,  instead, 
were  standing  upon  a  pivoted  plank.  Imagine  that 
the  president  is  standing  on  the  plank  at  its  centre 
and  directly  over  the  pivot,  while  at  one  end  of  the 
plank,  and  facing  him  in  conversation  is  Carroll, 
and  at  the  other  end  of  the  plank  and  behind  him  is 
the  "sneak."  Suppose  that  the  plank  is  turned  half 
round,  the  president  swinging  in  accordance.  This 
may  serve  to  illustrate  how  it  was  possible  for  the 
"sneak"  to  move  from  an  inner  office  door  across  the 
entry  to  the  street  door  while  he  still  maintained  a 
position  behind  the  official  and  accomplish  his 
egress  without  being  observed.  This  feat  was  per- 
formed successfully  by  means  of  a  judicious  shift- 
ing of  position  on  the  part  of  Carroll,  which  was  un- 
consciously followed  by  the  president  and  to  which 
movement  the  "sneak"  accommodated  himself  when 
he  discerned  that  he  was  to  be  gotten  through  this 
difficult  passage  by  means  of  an  imaginary  turn- 
table. 

Now  Watt  Jones  had  come  to  the  bank  in  a  buggy 
which  he  had  hired  in  the  village,  and  at  the  ter- 
mination of  the  "turn-table"  episode  he  was  in  the 
act  of  untying  his  horee,  having  at  last  secured  his 
draft  on  Switzerland.  By  design,  the  rig  was  so 
placed  that  the  "sneak"  had  but  a  few  feet  to  go  to 
reach  it.  So  it  was,  that  as  was  stated  at  the  opening 
of  the  narrative,  the  sounding  of  the  alarm  occurred 
when  Jones  and  the  "sneak"  were  driving  near  the 


50  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

edge  of  the  town,  with  ten  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
contained  in  two  large  cigar  boxes  at  their  feet. 

As  the  incident  which  followed  already  has  been 
described,  let  us  return  to  the  cause  of  that  alarm 
as  it  was  learned  by  the  thieves  from  newspaper  ac- 
counts. It  appears  that  the  cashier,  when  he  did 
again  turn  so-  that  his  eye  fell  upon  the  trays 
of  money,  was  not  long  in  noticing  that  one  of  the 
trays  was  not  evenly  placed  as  had  been  his  wont  to 
keep  it.  Thereupon,  he  leaned  across  the  table,  and 
placing  his  thumbs  against  the  tray,  braced  himself 
to  exert  the  force  which  experience  had  taught  him 
was  needed  to  move  the  weight  represented  by  five 
hundred  double  eagles.  Far  out  on  the  floor  flew 
the  "dummy"  tray,  and  gilded  cylinders  of  worthless 
wood  rolled  to  the  corners  of  the  room.  It  was  re- 
ported that  the  cashier  collapsed  in  a  swoon,  and  so 
dumbfounded  and  chagrined  w^ere  the  bank  people 
and  their  fellow  business  men,  that  some  little  time 
had  elap>ed  before  a  well  organized  pursuit  was  be- 
gun, during  which  interval  a  train  had  passed 
through  the  village  which  bore  away  Carroll  and 
Bigelow. 

In  so  far  as  it  may  be  of  value  to  bank  men,  this 
chapter  might  end  here,  but  it  is  contemplated  that 
the  book  may  be  the  source  of  some  edification  to  de- 
tectives and  police  officials.  To  this  end,  we  will 
relate  an  adventure  which  befell  Jones  and  the 
"sneak"  while  they  were  on  their  last  relay  and  were 
n earing  the  outskirts  of  San  Francisco,  travelling  in 
the  buggy  which  had  taken  the  "sneak"  out  of  that 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  51 

city  two  days  before,  and  which  had  been  picked 
up  on  their  return  at  the  road  house  called  "Ben- 
nett's." 

By  this  time,  the  authorities  had  gotten  wind  of 
the  route  the  thieves  were  travelling  and  their  means 
of  conveyance.  A  posse  from  San  Jose  hastily 
started  in  pursuit  in  a  wagon,  and  at  the  time  the 
two  thieves  were  halted  by  the  incident  here  related, 
was  perhaps  a  couple  of  miles  behind  them.  Now 
it  also  happened  that  in  response  to  telegraphic  com- 
munication, a  heavily  armed  posse  also  had  been 
dispatched  from  San  Francisco  to  intercept  the 
thieves.  The  members  of  this  posse,  shortly  after 
reaching  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  had  seen  ap- 
proaching them  a  horse  and  buggy,  and  suspecting 
(as,  indeed,  was  the  truth)  that  these  might  be  the 
men  they  sought,  they  drew  up  in  ambush.  Jones 
and  his  partner  received  no  intelligence  that  danger 
was  so  close  at  hand  until  a  wagon  was  suddenly 
swung  athwart  the  road  directly  ahead  of  them. 
Their  horse  sprang  back  on  his  haunches  and  they 
found  themselves  covered  at  close  range  by  a  dozen 
rifles  and  ordered  in  no  uncertain  tones  to  hold  up 
their  hands.  It  certainly  looked  like  the  finish  and 
it  is  not  to  be  asserted  that  the  thieves,  hardened 
as  they  were,  were  in  any  way  confident  of  being 
able  further  to  outwit  the  authorities.  Still  they 
had  one  card  to  play — and  only  one.  A  single  word 
passed  between  them, '  spoken  in  an  undertone — 
''drunk."  And  then  the  play  was  enacted  with  its 
counter-semblances    to    comedy    and    tragedy.     It 


52  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

was  the  old  game  of  striking  straight  at  the  heart  of 
creduHty. 

"Hold  up  your  hands/'  reiterated  the  officers,  "or 
we'll  pump  you  full  of  lead." 

No  attempt  will  be  made  to  repeat  all  that  com- 
prised the  rejoinder  made  by  the  thieves,  but  a  word 
or  two  will  indicate  the  nature  of  their  clever  sub- 
terfuge. Reeling  in  their  seats,  they  urged  their 
horse  onward,  turning  him  so  as  to  pass  the  wagon 
in  seeming  total  disregard  of  the  fact  that  it  re- 
sembled a  movable  arsenal.  Then  leering  at  the 
officers  and  replying  in  maudlin  tones  they  found 
such  humor  in  the  situation  that  they  broke  into 
drunken  laughter. 

"Hold  up  men ! — You're  d — d  poor  hold-up  men 
— ought  to  got  us  when  we  left  Frisco,  this  morning 
— had  twenty-eight  dollars  then — all  gone  to  Ben- 
nett's now — go  stick  up  the  bar-keep — he's  got  it — . 
get  up!" 

It  never  Avill  be  known  whether  or  not  this  ruse, 
in  itself,  would  have  been  successful,,  for  the  reason 
that,  at  this  juncture,  a  fresh  development  arose. 
Back  up  the  road  which  the  thieves  already  had  cov- 
ered, the  officers  noticed  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  looking 
closer,  discerned  the  cause  to  be  a  team  of  horses 
coming  at  mad  haste.  Now  the  reader  knows  that 
that  swift  moving  team  drew  the  posse  from  San 
Jose,  the  scene  of  the  robbery.  But,  the  officers  from 
San  Francisco,  Avho  were  being  derided  as  hold-up 
men,  did  not  even  know  that  pursuit  had  been  started 
from  .San  Jose  along  this  road.  For  that  reason  they 
were  deceived  bv  the  situation.     Here  came  a  team 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  53 

at  uimsual  .speed,  far  more  in  keeping  with  one's 
conception  of  a  bank-robber's  escape  than  was  the 
leisurely  gait  at  which  Jones  and  the  ''sneak"  had 
been  approaching  their  destination.  Besides,  if  these 
two  drunken  men  were  shamming,  they  were  hold- 
ing their  nerve  beyond  what  would  seem  to  be  the 
limit  of  human  endurance. 

"Go  on,  then,  you  cheap  drunken  skates!"  With 
these  words  from  the  officers,  the  thieves  knew  that 
their  ''close  shave"  was  over.  As  they  passed  the 
wagon,  an  ollicer,  in  irritation,  struck  their  horse 
with  the  stock  of  his  carbine.  "Stop  that,  you  let 
our  horse  alone,"  came  back  in  maudlin  tones.  The 
horse  plunged  down  tlie  road  toward  the  city  at-  a 
mad  gallop  and  we  need  hardly  add  that  Jones  and 
the  "sneak"  were  well  content  to  let  him  pursue 
that  gait. 

Further  incidents  connected  with  the  escape  from 
San  Francisco  of  this  mob  of  bank  thieves,  might 
prove  of  interest  to  the  general  reader  but  have  no 
proper  place  in  this  volume.  We  can  hardly  re- 
frain, however,  from  brietly  describing  the  climax 
Avhich  occurred  when  the  team  w^hose  swift  approach 
had  been  noted  by  the  San  Francisco  officers  during 
their  parley  with  the  "drunken"  men,  finally  arrived 
at  the  scene  of  the  "hold-up."  The  occupants  of 
this  wagon,  newly  come  upon  the  scene,  and  whom 
the  reader  knows  to  be  the  posse  from  San  Jose, 
were  arrested  by  the  same  stern  order  that  had  been 
shouted  to  Jones  and  the  "sneak."  In  their  agita- 
tion the  officers  from  San  Jose  increased  the  suspi- 


5-4  y/o/c  iJic  Bank  Sneak   Works 

cioii  with  AvliK'h  they  were  regarded  by  the  police 
from  San  Francisco.  A  robbery  had  been  commit- 
ted, they  exphiined,  the  thieves  had  escaped  by  this 
road  and  they  were  after  them.  This,  indeed, 
sounded  to  the  San  Francisco  officers  Hke  an  inven- 
tion which  ofttimes  in  the  past  had  been  employed 
by  hunted  men.  Besides,  their  credulity  had  al- 
ready been  strained. 

The  upshot  of  it  all  was  that  the  jDosse  from  San 
Francisco,  deaf  to  entreaties  and  attempted  explana- 
tions, arrested  the  posse  from  San  Jose  and  took 
them  back  to  the  city. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  55 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A  COSTLY  BREAKFAST  ORDER. 

Although  we  have  taken  for  our  paramount  con- 
sideration the  subject  of  bank  thievery,  still  it  is  our 
purpose  to  attempt,  as  well,  something  in  the  nature 
of  a  character  study  of  crooks  thus  engaged,  coupled 
with  narrative  to  indicate  the  channels  through 
Avhich  their  criminal  propensities  are  driven.  In- 
deed, a  mere  expose  of  "stock  tricks"  commonly  ap- 
plied to  certain  conditions  could  not  adequately 
serve  the  need  of  bank  men  who  wish  better  to  pro- 
tect their  charge,  inasmuch  as  ingenuity  and  expe- 
rience willj  from  time  to  time,  supplant  old  methods ; 
for  dishonest  men  keep  pace  with  the  times  quite 
as  Avell  as  do  their  more  virtuously  inclined  brethren. 
So,  assuming  that  it  is  of  chief  advantage  to  famil- 
iarize bank  people,  in  a  general  way,  with  the  pos- 
sibilities of  audacity  and  the  danger  of  credulity 
and  ungrounded  conclusions,  we  feel  at  liberty  to 
insert  this  account  of  a  diamond  robbery. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1885,  Jimmie  Car- 
roll, while  on  a  reconnoitering  trip  through  the 
eastern  and  central  states,  located  what  he  deemed 
a  good  prospect,  or  at  least  a  fair  possibility,  in  a 
Cincinnati  jewelry  store.  Upon  his  return  to  Wind- 
sor, he  dispatched  The  Swindler  to  the  former  city, 
merely  naming  the  business  house  in  question  and 
purposely  reserving  his  views  as  to  wherein  lay  the 


56  IIoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

^^opening."  The  object  of  this  reticence  should  be 
apparent.  The  Swindler's  finding  could  not  be  influ- 
enced by  his  captain's  observations,  and  should  both 
detect  the  same  weakness  in  the  jeweler's  system, 
there  need  be  no  uncertainty  among  the  thieves  as 
to  what  course  was  best  to  pursue.  As  it  transpired. 
The  Swindler's  investigations  (Jid  result  in  this  con- 
currence of  views,  and  true  to  the  forceful  expedi- 
tion characteristic  of  this  ''mob,"  a  few^  days  later 
found  these  tAvo  iiien  numbered  among  Cincinnati's 
"floating"  population.  They  were  accompanied  by 
Tom  Bigelow  and  Watt  Jones,  whose  names  are 
already  familiar,  and  one  other,  who  for  the  pur- 
poses of  this  narrative,  will  be  called  Thompson 
Now,  since  the  latter's  untoward  act  was  to  give  an 
unexpected  turn  to  the  course  of  events,  it  is  proper 
to  say  a  word  regarding  his  family  relations  and  a 
certain  unconquerable  w^eakness,  as  considered  from 
the  standpoint  of  illicit  transactions.  Keenly  aware 
of  the  surveillance  under  which  they  are  kept  by  the 
authorities,  expert  bank  thieves  employ  every  pos- 
sible means  of  covering  their  tracks.  When  a  "mob" 
leaves  home  to  operate  in  another  city,  it  is  the 
approved  practice  of  each  member  to  maintain  abso- 
lute silence  in  all  quarters  as  to  destination.  Further- 
more, during  the  days  of  absence,  all  outside  com- 
munication of  whatsoever  nature,  ls  cut  off,  no  mes- 
sages by  wire  or  mail  being  sent.  Now^  this  man, 
Thompson,  was  possessed  of  a  wife  and  children,  liv- 
ing in  Windsor,  a  city  at  that  time  known  by  de- 
tectives to  be  the  haven  of  many  dangerous  crooks. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  57 

This  condition  prevailed  by  reason  of  the  then  in- 
complete extradition  laws.  So  it  was,  that  the  noise 
of  a  big  robbery  would  no  sooner  be  sounded  than 
a  few  shrewd  officers  could  be  found  in  Windsor 
with  ears  alert  to  catch  a  chance  word  as  to  the 
recent  whereabouts  of  certain  residents  of  shady  rep- 
utation. However,  so  susceptible  was  this  man 
Thompson  to  the  seductions  of  home  ties,  that  he 
was  prone  to  defy  danger  and  telegraph  to  his  wife 
almost  daily  while  out  on  one  of  his  marauding 
expeditions.  Carroll,  as  well  as  the  others,  was  aware 
of  this  failing  and  only  consented  to  include  Thomp- 
son in  his  party  because  he  knew  him  to  be  otherwise 
fit  for  the  delicate  task  and  because  the  man  pleaded 
for  a  hand  in  this  job  which  promised  to  turn  up 
the  handsome  gain  of  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  diamonds.  Before  reaching  Cincinnati,  however, 
Thompson  was  sternly  admonished  against  any  com- 
nninication  with  his  wife.  Indeed,  he  was  supposed 
to  leave  her  under  the  impression  that  he  had  gone 
to  New  York.  Leaving  this  explanatory  preface  to 
be  recalled  to  mind  later  on,  we  will  go  on  to  tell 
how  the  five  men  fereted  their  way  into  the  jeweler's 
stronghold. 

The  situation,  as  Carroll  and  The  Swindler  had 
found  it,  was  this,  considering  only  that  portion  of 
the  store  where  the  work  was  to  be  done  and  naming 
those  employees  whose  attention  must  necessarily  be 
diverted.  As  is  common  in  retailing  establishments 
of  this  kind,  each  clerk  or  salesman  was  detailed 
to  praside  over  a  specified  showcase   or  length   of 


58  How  the  Banh  Sneak  Works 

counter.  So  far  so  good,  and  by  establishing  this 
arrangement,  the  jeweler  had  acted  upon  the  expe- 
rience of  many  other  merchants  in  the  past.  But 
it  may  be  fair  to  conclude  he  did  not  quite  get  the 
spirit  of  the  precaution,  when  we  add  that,  instead 
of  each  salesman  having  his  individual  cash  drawer, 
he  was  obliged  to  leave  his  showcase  and  walk  down 
the  aisle  behind  tAvo  or  three  others  (according  to 
his  particular  location)  when  he  had  occasion  to 
make  change  or  deposit  the  proceeds  of  a  sale.  This 
was  the  circumstance  which  had  started  Carroll  and 
The  Swindler  to  scheming  how  they  might  get  pos- 
session of  what  appeared  to  be  the  most  valuable  tray 
of  stones.  That  which  they  contemplated  to  be  the 
winning  play  in  their  plot  was  the  part  to  be  at- 
tempted by  The  Swindler.  This  consisted  in  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  his  assuming  the  "belong 
there"  manner  and  boldly  stepping  behind  the  show- 
case where  rested  the  coveted  gems.  It  was  intended, 
of  course,  that  this  should  be  done  while  the  bona 
fide  salesman  had  gone  to  the  cash  drawer.  For 
convenience  in  the  narrative,  this  particular  sales- 
man will  be  designated  as  Mr.  Smith.  It  was  further 
plotted  that  when  The  Swindler  appeared  ready  to 
wait  on  trade,  the  "trade"  should  materialize  in  the 
person  of  Thompson,  who,  for  the  full  understand- 
ing of  later  events,  we  would  remind  the  reader,  was 
the  man  of  tender  affiliations.  It  was  prearranged 
by  the  thieves  that  Thompson  should  ask  "sales- 
man" Swindler  to  show  him  something  on  the  tray 
whose  contents  they  designed  to  steal.     In  response, 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  59 

The  Swindler  was  deftly  to  wrap  the  entire  "lay 
out"  of  diamonds  in  the  square  of  velvet  upon  which 
they  were  displayed  and  hand  them  to  Thompson, 
in  sequel  to  which  act,  the  latter  was  expected  to 
quietly  walk  away  and  out  of  the  store  without 
troubling  himself  to  pay  for  his  valuable  acquisi- 
tion. Of  course,  the  other  confederates  were  to  con- 
trive such  a  distraction  of  attention  on  the  part  of 
the  store's  employees  that  this  peculiar  transaction 
might  be  unobserved.  To  the  latter  end,  Carroll  was 
to  begin  proceedings  by  purchasing  of  Mr.  Smith  a 
diamond  stud  of  some  value,  paying  for  the  same 
in  even  change,  this  last  precaution  in  order  that 
the  latter's  trip  to  the  cash  drawer  might  be  more 
leisurely  made  than  would  be  probable  were  he 
intent  upon  making  change.  The  unfolding  of 
Carroll's  plan  would  entail  his  walking  abreast  of  Mr. 
Smith  when  the  latter  stepped  away  from  his  show- 
case with  the  money  received  for  the  stud,  it  being 
the  intention  that,  when  Mr.  Smith  had  reached  the 
furthermost  point  in  his  trip  to  the  cash  drawer,  he 
should  be  so  engaged  in  conversation  concerning 
the  prospective  purchase  of  a  mate  to  the  stud  that 
his  return  to  his  post  might  be  delayed  long  enough 
for  The  Swindler  to  boldly  take  his  place  as  a  "sales- 
man." It  was  counted  upon  that  the  other  em- 
ployees, blinded  by  their  preoccupation,  would  fail 
to  notice  the  change  in  identity.  That  the  reader 
may  be  more  credulous  concerning  the  practicabil- 
ity of  such  a  master  stroke,  we  will  explain  that 
there  existed  a  striking  similarity  in  appearance  be- 


60  How   ilie   Lank  Sneak    ]\'urh 

tween  The  Swindler  and  the  salesman  called  Mr. 
Smith.  It  was  the  part  of  the  other  two  confed- 
erates, Jones  and  Bigelow,  to  stand  ready  to  make 
l^urchases  and  thereby  hold  the  attention  of  the 
other  salesmen  in  the  store,  should  it  happen  that 
customers  outside  the  plot  were  not  already  attends 
ing  to  this  detail,  and  unconsciously  playing  into 
the  hands  of  the  thieves.  Among  other  preparations 
for  the  robbery  may  be  mentioned  the  purchase  by 
The  Swindler  of  an  alpaca  coat  and  light  vest,  such 
as  were  worn  somewhat  as  a  uniform  by  the  sales- 
men. 

And  so,  having  briefly  outlined  this  ingenious 
plan,  let  us  speak  of  an  incident  which  occurred 
just  prior  to  the  "mob's"  entering  the  store — an  inci- 
dent having  a  bearing  upon  Thompson's  yearn- 
ing for  his  fireside  in  Windsor,  and  a  circumstance 
which,  reminds  one  of  that  scientific  truism,  that  "the 
strength  of  a  chain  is  equal  to  the  strength  of  its 
weakest  link." 

The  Swindler  was  the  only  man  among  the  five 
who  noticed  his  confederate,  Thompson,  when  that 
fond  husband  entered  a  nearby  telegraph  office,  a 
few  minutes  before  the  fateful  time  of  action.  Fa- 
miliar as  he  was  with  the  latter's  home-flitting, 
mental  tendencies,  The  Swindler  surmised  (and  ac- 
curately in  the  light  of  future  disclosures)  that,  con- 
trary to  orders,  and  in  defiance  of  essential  meas- 
ures of  secrecy,  a  message  was  to  be  sent  to  Wind- 
sor. As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  came  out  subsequently 
that  the  burden  of  this  telegTam  was  to  suggest  to 


Hoiv  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  ^1 

Mrs.  Thompson  the  particular  kind  of  celery  that 
might  gladden  the  heart  (and  ai)petite)  of  her 
spouse  when  first  again  he  sat  down  at  his  break- 
fast table  in  Windsor. 

It  is  not  common  for  a  bank  sneak  wittingly  to 
spring  a  surprise  upon  his  fellows,  while  engaged 
in  dangerous  work,  yet  that  is  what  The  Swindler 
did  before  the  passing  of  another  hour.  At  the 
time  of  the  telegram  episode,  the  thieves  had  already 
separated,  not  to  reconvene  until  the  work  had  been 
done — or  at  least  attempted.  Therefore  but  two 
courses  of  action  seemed  open  to  him — to  proceed 
in  his  part  as  planned,  or  to  absent  himself  and, 
by  so  doing,  disconcert  his  fellow-conspirators  and 
frustrate  a  plan  which  now  promised  well  to  land 
all  five  in  the  penitentiary,  if  it  were  consummated, 
for  it  was  quite  likely  that  Mrs.  Thompson,  on  re- 
ceipt of  her  husband's  telegram,  might  drop  a 
chance  word  that,  coming  to  the  ear  of  detectives, 
would  furnish  them  a  clew  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
Cincinnati  robbers.  This  latter  course,  while  it  might 
appear  to  have  been  a  logical  solution  of  the  diffi- 
culty, did  not  appeal  to  The  Swmdler  in  view  of  the 
possibility  that  it  might  expose  him  to  the  charge 
of  cowardice,  should  Carroll  choose  to  treat  the  story 
of  the  telegraph  office  as  the  hasty  invention  of  a 
young  man  whose  heart  had  quailed  on  the  eve  of 
his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  salesman.  So  in  the 
midst  of  his  dilemma.  The  Swindler  contrived  an- 
other way  to  meet  the  new  turn  in  affairs  brought 
about  by  Thompson's  recklessness  and  insubordina- 


62  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

tion.  Just  what  this  plan  was  will  soon  be  dis- 
closed in  the  narrative.  The  moment  for  acting 
arrived  and  the  various  players  moved  to  their  re- 
spective places  with  precision  and  an  assurance  born 
of  past  success.  Carroll,  taking  the  lead,  pur- 
chased a  stud  of  Mr.  Smith,  the  while  the  former's 
eyes  gloated  upon  the  tray  of  diamonds,  so  near  at 
hand.  A  moment  later,  as  Mr.  Smith  stepped  away 
toward  the  cash  drawer,  the  captain  of  thieves 
walked  with  him  as  well  as  might  be  with  counters 
intervening.  That  second  thought  as  to  the  pur- 
chase of  a  mate  for  the  stud  served  to  detain  Mr. 
Smith  near  the  cash  drawer  and  "all  too  far  from  his 
post,  in  a  conversation  w^th  the  man  whom  he  so 
little  suspected  of  being  a  chief  conspirator  against 
the  house.  The  Swindler,  standing  behind  a  mas- 
sive hall  clock,  had  effected  the  change  of  coat  and 
vest  which  was  intended  to  avoid  a  keener  scrutiny, 
should  he  chance  to  encounter  the  passing  glance 
of  a  store  employee.  Quick  to  act  the  moment  Mr. 
Smith  and  Carroll  left  the  former's  post,  the  newly 
made  "salesman"  was  soon  behind  the  showcase  with- 
in reach  of  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gems — 
and  he  had  so  far  been  unobserved  by  any  save  those 
who  w^ere  depending  upon  his  cool  nerve  and  adroit- 
ness to  swell  their  fortunes.  Bigelow  and  Jones, 
ostensibly  strangers  to  him  and  to  each  other,  stood 
ready  quickly  to  make  known  their  wants  to  the 
other  salesmen,  should  the  latter  show  a  sign  of 
concluding  the  business  which  already  occupied  their 
attention. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  03 

And  so  The  Swindler  for  an  instant,  stood  waiting 
for  trade,  and  then  came  Thompson  with  his  re- 
quest to  inspect  a  diamond  from  the  glittering  tray. 
The  case  door  was  opened;  the  Swindler's  hand  was 
thrust  in — and  all  expectant  to  receive  a  hastily  col- 
lected bundle  of  stones  stood  the  "customer,"  whose 
thoughts  had  momentarily  beeii  diverted  from  the 
loved  ones  at  home.  Out  from  within  the  showcase 
came  the  sham  salesman's  arm  and  into  the  waiting 
confederate's  hand  was  placed — not  the  collection  of 
many  diamonds  which  had  brought  five  thieves  from 
their  Canada  home  to  the  Ohio  river,  but  instead, 
a  single  gem — or  perhaps  two — the  value  of  which 
would  scarcely  pay  expenses  of  the  trip.  So  amazed 
and  chagrined  w^as  Thompson  that,  but  for  a  telling 
look  from  The  Swindler,  he  might  have  made  a 
sound  or  move  to  jeopardize  the  safety  of  the  entire 
mob.  As  it  was,  however,  he  passed  out  of  the  store 
in  conformance  with  the  prearranged  plan,  still 
wholly  mystified  and  quite  dumbfounded  by  The 
Swindler's  seemingly  wanton  rejection  of  an  op- 
portunity such  as  comes  but  seldom  to  the  lot  of 
even  an  expert  bank  sneak. 

The  other  members  of  the  "mob"  discharged  the 
commonplace  errands  which  had  served  to  account 
for  their  presence  in  the  store,  and  gaining  the  street, 
each  hastened  to  a  previously  agreed  upon  meeting 
place.  Jubilant,  indeed,  were  the  three  who  had 
acted  as  "stalls,"  for  as  yet  they  were  unaware  that, 
instead  of  the  fortune  sought,  but  a  paltry  stone  or 
two  rewarded  their  pains.    And  when,  shortly  after, 


64  Honj  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

Thompson  had  made  known  to  his  companions  The 
Swindler's  unaccountable  act,  it  may  be  well  sup- 
l)osed  the  latter  was  bombarded  with  demands  for 
an  explanation.  This  they  did  not  receive,  however, 
until  all  five  were  seated  privately  in  a  hotel  room. 
Then  The  Swindler  spoke.  Turning  upon  Thomp- 
son, he  darted  at  that  gentleman  the  questions, 
''Where  did  you  send  that  telegram? — Did  you  tell 
your  wife  what  to  have  for  breakfast?"  By  a  singu- 
lar coincidence,  he  had  unwittingly  touched  upon 
the  truth,  and  Thompson  was  so  taken  aback  that, 
by  disconcerted  manner,  and  a  halting  word  or  two, 
he  admitted  his  guilt. 

Now  to  the  oft-hunted  Carroll,  the  single  word 
"telegram"  was  sufficient  explanation  in  itself.  He 
was  a  man  of  action  and  expressed  himself  accord- 
ingly. Quickly  his  hand  tlew  out  as  he  struck 
Thompson  a  single  blow  in  the  face — a  blow,  by 
the  w^ay,  which  was  not  returned.  Then  the  same 
hand  that  had  completed  its  mission  of  angry  pas- 
sion was  extended  in  gratitude  to  the  man  who  had 
saved  the  day — or  shall  we  say  had  guarded  against 
the  possibility  of  many  days  behind  the  bars. 

As  to  just  when  the  jeweler  discovered  the  com- 
paratively small  theft  that  actually  had  been  com- 
mitted, we  cannot  say,  but  the  thieves  were  safe  in 
their  conclusion  that  this  loss  would  be  attributed 
to  the  work  of  some  petty  local  shoplifter,  if  not 
ascribed  to  the  carelessness  or  peculation  of  an  em- 
ployee. 


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66 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  broker's  surprise  PARTY. 

AVhile  the  work  of  many  crooks  who  follow  other 
lines  in  their  pursuit  of  the  elusive  dollar,  is  apt 
to  be  more  or  less  sporadic,  if  not  actually  resultant 
from  dire  necessity,  no  one  could  be  more  system- 
atic than  a  bank  thief  of  the  class  we  describe. 
Promptly  at  .10  a.  m.  he  commences  his  vigil  on  the 
"street,"  and  unless  something  "turns  up,"  his  vig- 
ilance is  unrelaxed  until  time- for  bank  closing  in 
the  afternoon.  If  any  minor  affairs  of  the  day 
require  attention,  the  same  is  given  before  he  leaves 
his  hotel,  to  the  end  that  nothing  may  interfere 
with  "business."  Ofttimes  a  sandwich  is  stuck  in  the 
coat  pocket  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  wasting  pre- 
vious moments  in  a  restaurant. 

The  usual  mode  of  procedure  in  the  visitation  of 
banks  was  referred  to  in  the  first  chapter.  Also,  we 
have  already  described  three  jobs  which  represented 
the  consummation  of  deliberately  laid  plans.  Just 
now,  let  us  emphasize  the  fact  that  at  all  times  the 
expert  thief  attends  to  business  with  an  assiduity 
greatly  to  be  extolled,  were  it  not  for  the  dishonest 
purpose.  The  keen,  roving  eye  of  the  thief  brings 
to  light  all  the  possibilities  held  by  his  changing  sur- 
roundings as  surely  as  does  a  searchlight  dispel  the 
shadowy  and  disclose  what  otherwise  would  have 
passed  unobserved.    The  messenger  who  has  made  so 


68  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

many  trips  in  safety  is  often  less  conscious  of  his 
charge  and  the  responsibility  attending  it  than  is  the 
thief  whose  glance  has  rested  upon  him  but  a  second. 

Now  it  often  transpires  that  an  "opening"  is  de- 
tected which  is  manifestly  an  affair  of  the  hour  or 
the  moment.  If  the  money  is  tO  be  stolen,  it  must 
be  gotten  at  once,  or  not  at  all — no  time  for  re- 
hearsal or  conning  of  parts.  It  will  be  sufficient 
for  a  "stall"  that  his  captain  hastily  orders  him  to 
get  a  certain  man  away  from  such  and  such  a  place. 
It  is  up  to  the  "stall"  to  devise  Jiis  scheme-and  carry 
it  out  almost  in  the  same  thought.  The  several 
points  above  mentioned  are  clearly  illustrated  in  the 
narrative  which  follows.  No  doubt  there  are  still 
those  among  Chicago's  bank  men  and  brokers  who 
will  recall  how  many  unexpected  turns  were  given 
to  a  "practical  joke"  which  had  for  its  scene  a 
broker's  office  on  the  ninth  floor  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  building  and  which  occurred  in  the  year  1889. 

Few  who  have  Avalked  the  streets  of  Chicago  and 
who  have  found  occasion  to  round  the  northwest  ^ 
corner  of  La  Salle  and  Adams  streets,  have  failed  to 
take  note  that  the  building  occupying  that  site  is 
provided  with  an  arrangement  of  the  entrance, 
rather  uncommon  in  the  architecture  of  Chicago's 
business  structures.  An  outside  entrance .  is  pro- 
vided for  the  second  story.  This  door  is  placed  pre- 
cisely at  the  corner  of  the  building  and  from  the 
landing  without,  two  iron  stairways,  one  inclined 
to  the  north  and  one  toward  the  west,  form  a  pas- 


Holu  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  69 

sage  to  the  sidewalk.*  At  that  time,  also,  the  old 
Grand  Pacific  Hotel  occupied  the  space  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  La  Salle  street  and  Jackson  boule- 
vard, where  the  Illinois  Trust  Safety  Deposit  Com- 
pany Vaults  now  stand.  On  the  La  Salle  street 
front  of  this  hotel  was  a  veranda  where  guests  were 
wont  to  sit  and  smoke  and  watch  the  throng  of 
eager  money  getters,  for  as  Chicagoans  are  well 
aware,  this  portion  of  La  Salle  street  is  akin  in  char- 
acter to  the  far-famed  Wall  street  of  New  York. 

Now  upon  the  day  in  question,  at  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  a  man  stepped  out  of  the 
entrance  mentioned  as  being  liable  to  attract  the 
eye  of  anyone  looking  toward  the  northwest  corner 
of  La  Salle  and  Adams  streets.  It  will  be  recalled 
that  the  divergent  stairways  leading  to  this  entrance 
were  united  by  a  landing  somewhat  above  the  heads 
of  those  passing  on  the  side^walk.  The  man,  who  now 
stood  upon  this  landing,  carried  in  his  hand  a 
satchel,  which  had  not  yet  been  closed  and  fastened. 
The  man  paused  on  the  landing  and  his  actions 
clearly  indicated  that  he  was  very  desirous  of  forc-- 
ing  the  two  sides  of  the  satchel  together  in  order  that 
he  might  snap  the  catch. 

Now  one  need  not  have  possessed  any  remarkable 
powers  of  deduction  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  satchel  contained  something  less  compressible 
than  clothing.  Indeed,  it  was  only  a  question  of 
observation,  yet  it  is  probable  that,  among  the  throng 
which  was  passing  the  entrance  at  that  time,  there 

*Tliis  buildiiip  is  now  being  razed. 


70  How  tlie'Bank  Snedh-   ]]'(^rJxS 

was  not  one  who  .ui,ave  to  the  incident  a  second 
thonght,  or  from  the  man's  effort  to  close  his 
satchel,  deduced  the  conckision  that  it  contained  cur- 
rency and  that  its  bearer  was  a  messenger  about  to 
start  upon  his  trip.  However,  with  a  significant 
sinuihaneousness,  a  man  who  had  been  sitting  on  the 
before-mentioned  hotel  veranda,  one  block  distant  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  tossed  aside  his  cigar, 
and  with  an  alacrity  by  no  means  suggesting  a  frus- 
trated nnnd.  arose  from  his  chair  and  turned  into 
the  hotel.  His  two  companions  heard  the  low-spoken 
words.  ''There  goes  a  bag." 

Inasmuch  as  these  three  men  comprised  the 
"mob"  of  bank  thieves  who  perpetrated  the  practical 
joke  to  which  allusion  has  heretofore  Ijeen  made,  it 
is  timely  to  give  their  names.  It  was  John  AVherley 
who  had  been  first  to  arise,  and  of  the  two  remain- 
ing, the  older  was  wearing  the  name  of  George  Wat- 
son. The  other,  James  jMoore,  was  young  in  the 
business  and  altogether  a  novice  at  the  trade  of  steal- 
ing money  in  large  sums.  He  had  gained  local  fame 
among  crooks,  through  his  success  as  a  "till-tap- 
per,"  operating  upon  drug  stores,  saloons,  etc.  In 
common  with  Wherley,  he  possessed  a  mutual  friend, 
a  saloonkeeper,  who,  thinking  he  saw  in  Moore 
qualities  which  would  fit  him  for  larger  and  more 
remunerative  work,  had  brought  the  matter  to  the 
attention  of  Wherley,  captain  of  this  "mob"  and 
a  man  of  acknowledged  greatness  as  a  "stall."  The 
siloonkeeper  knew  Wherley  to  be  in  search  of  a 
cap.able  man  to  act  as  "sneak,"  so  calling  u|)on  the 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  71 

former  at  his  rooms  in  the  Pahiier  House,  he  had 
recommended  that  the  opportunity  be  given  to 
Moore. 

But  to  return  to  tlie  time  and  scene  of  Wherley's 
sudden  departure.     His  two  companions  of  the  mo- 
ment just  gone,  were  not  at  all  startled  by  the  occur- 
rence; although  it  meant  that  they  must  unhesitat- 
ingly spring  into  action,  and  that  that  action  might 
culminate   in   listening  to   a   few   well-chosen,    but 
hope-destroying,  words  from  a  judge  of  the  Criminal 
Court.    Wise  in  the  lore  of  their  kind,  they  knew 
precisely   what   was  required   of  them   in   doing   a 
'Hail  trick."    For  the  benefit  of  the  lay  mind,  let  us 
explani  that  a  "tail  trick"  is  the  following,  perhaps 
through  a  dense  crowd,  of  a  bank  messenger  or  other 
individual,    the    determining    of   whose   destination 
means  much  to  the  thieves  in  their  criminal  quest. 
While  engaged  in  work  of  this  kind,  the  members 
of  a  ^^mob"  court  safety  by  taking  care  to  remain 
separated,  each  from  another,  by  considerable  dis- 
tance, sometimes  half  a  block.     The  experience  of 
the  many  has  determined  the  fact  to  be  that,  were 
each  thief  to  try  keeping  all  of  his  partners  in  sight, 
the  shifting  of  attention  thus  entailed  would  soon 
result  in  his  being  lost   (as  far  as  ability  to  locate 
any  of  the  others  was  concerned) .    In  order  to  safe- 
guard against  such  a  baffling  circumstance,  it  is  the 
policy  of  well-trained  thieves  to  employ  a  method 
which  may  be  described  as  follows: 

Su})posing  that  there  be  four  men  in  the  "mob," 
and  that  "A"  had,  been  first  off  to  "tail"  a  man. 


72  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

then  "B/'  wlio  is  following  behind  at  some  little 
distance,  devotes  his  energy  and  attention  to  keep- 
ing "A"  in  sight,  paying  no  heed  whatever  to  where 
'^C"  and  "D"  may  be,  for  he  knows  that  each  of 
them  is  following  a  similar  procednre.  That  is  to 
say,  "C"  keeps  his  eye  upon  "B,"  disregarding  any 
of  the  others,  and  in  like  manner,  "D"  concerns  his 
mind  only  with  keeping  "C"  within  range  of  his 
vision.  It  will  be  seen  that,  should  "A"  come  to  a 
halt,  the  others  Avould  soon  close  up  and  a  reuniting 
take  place. 

While  we  have  paused  to  acquaint  the  reader 
with  these  ways  of  the  under  world,  enough  time  has 
elapsed  for  Wherley  to  get  well  up  the  street  toward 
the  starting  point  of  the  satchel-bearing  messenger. 
Had  Wherley  known  that  this  man  was  en  route  for 
the  Board  of  Trade  Building,  he  would  have  needed 
only  to  wait  in  front  of  the  hotel  until  the  latter 
passed  by.  As  it  was,  they  soon  met  and  a  moment 
later  Wherley  turned  on  his  heel  and  began  the  pur- 
suit. The  Chicagoan  knows  that  this  was  to  be 
soon  concluded,  for  the  distance  which  the  mes- 
senger was  obliged  to  traverse  w^as  a  single  block. 
Arriving  at  the  Board  of  Trade  building,  he  im- 
mediately entered  an  elevator  where,  scarce  a  min- 
ute later,  he  was  joined  by  a  man,  all  unknown  to 
him,  though  this  coming  together  was  far  from  being 
a  matter  of  chance.  Wherley  had  his  man  well  in 
hand,  but  the  others  were  not  quite  so  fortunate. 
The  conductor  had  just  slammed  the  door  of  the 
elevator  when  a  man,  hastening  up  from  without, 


Holu  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  73 

showed  evident  desire  to  become  a  passenger  on  that 
same  trip  to  an  upper  story.  But,  even  in  the  lives 
of  thieves,  there  are  annoying  interventions,  and 
Watson,  who  by  this  time  had  been  joined  by  Moore, 
was  left  below,  while  Wherley,  standing  close  to  the 
messenger,  and  within  touch  of  the  bag  crammed 
full  of  money,  sped  upward,  he  knew  not  whither. 

On  the  ninth  floor,  the'  messenger  got  out  and 
entered  a  broker's  office,  after  entering  which  he 
passed  through  the  gateway  of  a  railing  that  sep- 
arated the  outer  office  from  the  cashier's  domain. 
Pausing  at  a  long  table,  he  undid  the  fastenings 
of  his  bag  and  dumped  out  a  heap  of  bank  notes, 
manifesting  an  air  of  carelessness  and  unconcern 
born  of  the  frequent  repetition  of  a  task  which  had 
never  been  brightened  by  any  realization  of  the 
luxury  and  ease  purchasable  with  these  mere  bits 
of  paper.  To  him,  they  represented  only  the  bur-, 
den  he  must  needs  carry  here  and  there  for  the 
gaining  of  a  small  weekly  stipend. 

This  delivery  of  the  money  had  not  been  ac- 
complished before  Wherley,  from  the  doorway 
exercising  an. eye  long  practiced  in  instant  compre- 
hension of  detail,  had  learned  enough  of  what  that 
office  contained  to  have  been  able  to  describe  the 
same  with  accuracy,  were  there  need.  That  the 
reader  may  follow  understandingly  the  unfolding 
of  Wherley's  plan,  we  suggest  a  reference  to  the  dia- 
gram published  herewith.*     It  will  be  seen  that  the 


*Buildlng  alterations  have  changed  the  arrangement  of  offices  and  stairway 
here  described. — Ed. 


7-i  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

suite  consisted  of  a  private  office  adjoining  a  larger 
room,  which  latter  was,  in  turn,  subdivided  by  a 
failing,  passage  from  one  subdivision  to  the  other 
being  provided  for  by  a  gateway.  As  to  this  partial 
division,  the  major  portion  comprised  the  outer  of- 
fice, in  which  one  would  find  himself  upon  entering 
through  the  door  into  the  hallway,  which  the  mes- 
senger had  used  during  his  passage  in  and  out,  and 
from  which  vantage  point  Wherley  had  made  his 
hasty  survey.  In  order  to  reach  the  telephone,  the 
cashier  was  obliged  to  pass  through  the  railing  gate 
and  go  to  the  remotest  corner  of  the  room,  which 
necessitated  his  walking  entirely  across  the  outer 
office.  Here,  while  in  the  act  of  telephoning,  he 
would  be  standing  Avith  his  face  to  the  wall.  Thus, 
if  his  attention  were  so  engaged,  he  would  be  a  minor 
subject  for  concern,  were  one  to  attempt  a  stealthy, 
passage  from  the  outer  corridor  via  the  mes.senger's 
route,  to  the  table  that  now  bore  a  burden  of  twelve 
thousand  dollars.  If  it  appears  that  this  injudicious 
location  of  the  'phone  simplified  matters  for  the 
thieves,  it  will  become  more  apparent  how  difficult  a 
task  was  at  himd  when  we  add  that,  beside  the  cash- 
ier, there  were  present  in  the  other  portion  of  this 
room,  four  men,  they  being  the  broker  and  three 
fellow  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  For  con- 
venient designation  in  this  account,  we  shall  refer 
to  the  broker  as  Mr.  Burbank. 

Now  ^Ir.  Burbank,  with  his  friends,  was  seated  in 
the  space  intervening  between  the  objective  tal)le  and 
a  door  leading  into  the  former's  private  office.     This 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  75 

small  private  office  joossessed  two  means  of  entrance 
and  egress,  the  inner  door  to  ^yhich  allusion  has 
been  made  and  another  door  that  opened  upon  the 
corridor  near  the  elevator,  as  is  more  graphically 
shown  in  the  diagram.  This  drawing,  by-the-way, 
like  others  produced  in  this  volume,  is  only  approxi- 
mate in  respect  to  dimensions  and  minor  details. 

To  summarize,  it  appears  that,  from  the  corridor 
without  and  not  far  distant  from  each  other,  there 
were  two  doors  opening  into  the  suite;  that  each 
of  these  outer  entrances  disclosed  a  route  by  which 
one  might  reach  the  money  and  the  place  where  the 
four  Board  members  were  seated;  that  in  following 
either  course,  one  would  be  intercepted,  about  mid- 
way, by  an  inner  barrier.  This  inner  barrier,  as 
encountered  by  the  messenger  (and  later  by  the 
sneak)  was  the  railing  gate;  in  the  case  of  the  other 
route  it  consisted  of  the  inner  door  of  Mr.  Bur- 
bank's  private   office. 

All  these  points,  Wherley  had  noted,  and  in  ad- 
dition he  had  observed  what  briefly  may  be  recounted 
as  follows:  the  character  of  the  business  trans- 
acted in  this  suite;  the  probability,  judging  from 
their  appearance,  that  the  four  men  seated  together 
were  all  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade ;  the  broker's 
name  (Mr.  Burbank)  lettered  on  the  outer  door  of 
the  private  office;  the  probable  identity  of  Mr.  Bur- 
bank  among  the  four,  together  with  the  good 
humored  tone  of  their  conversation  and  their  ap- 
pearance as  indicating  an  inclination  toward  the 
pleasure  affording  side  of  life.     In  addition,  there 


76  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

was  the  money  in  plain  sight  and  clearly  represent- 
ing a  small  fortune. 

The  reading  of  this  detailed  description  has  prob- 
ably consumed  rather  a  longer  time  than  expired 
before  Watson  and  Moore  arrived  on  this  ninth  floor 
corridor  where  Wherley  was  awaiting  them.  For 
Watson  by  no  means  had  been  nonplussed  when  he 
found  himself  excluded  from  the  elevator  w^hich  had 
borne  aloft  and  out  of  sight  his  partner,  Wherley, 
and  the  messenger.  Without  hesitation,  he  sprang 
to  the  stairway,  closely  seconded  by  the  younger 
man,  Moore.  Somewhere  above,  he  knew  Wherley 
would  be  awaiting  them,  for,  as  was  remarked  in  the 
opening  sentence  of  our  first  chapter,  "the  trade  of 
bank  sneak  is  fundamentally  a  business  of  silent 
understanding."  So,  after  two  or  three  minutes  en- 
ergetic climbing,  they  appeared  before  their  chief, 
out  of  breath  but  alive  to  action,  for  even  nine 
flights  of  stairs  present  no  prospect  to  intimidate 
when  one  may  have  before  him  the  possibility  of 
bringing  down  a  sack  full  of  money.  Incidentally,  it 
was  not  many  minutes  thereafter,  when  Moore,  the 
novice,  came  down  those  same  stairs  with  vastly 
greater  alacrity  than  he  had  employed  going  up. 

As  he  reads  the  narrative  w^hich  immediately  fol- 
low^s,  the  bank  clerk  or  cashier  may  conclude  that 
the  criminal  opponents  to  his  profession  are  armed, 
not  alone  with  an  abundance  of  "stock  tricks,"  but 
in  addition  possess  a  ready  inventiveness  which 
makes  it  perilous  for  the  clerk  to  be  ever  other  than 
keenly  alert. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  77 

To  the  experienced  Watson,  only  a  word  of  ex- 
planation was  needed  before  he  began  arrangements 
for  "taking  care  of"  the  cashier.  Turning  to  young 
Moore,  Wherley  briefly  cautioned  him  to  hold  his 
nerve  and  go  straight  for  the  money  when  he  saw 
the  "stalls"  had  cleared  the  way.  Then  he  added  a 
remark  which  well  nigh  counteracted  the  admoni- 
tion as  to  self-control.  "Jimmie/'  he  said,  "there's 
enough  money  in  there  to  keep  you  from  stealing 
the  rest  of  your  days."  Now  it  is  fair  to  suppose 
that,  after  his  recent  exercise,  the  business  of  the 
bank  sneak  appeared  to  "Jimmie"  in  a  different  and 
less  flattering  light  than  it  did  when,  that  morning, 
he  sat  on  the  veranda  of  the  Grand  Pacific  and 
smoked  a  cigar  with  two  of  the  world's  most  re- 
nowned thieves.  So  this  assurance  of  ease  begetting 
riches  affected  him  deeply  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  had  developed  an  ailment  closely  akin  to  what 
hunters  term  "buck  ague."  As  a  result  of  this  lapse 
from  self  control  he  lost  his  head  when  the  final 
nerve  test  arrived  and  made  a  sad  bungle  of  it. 

Now  Watson,  quite  as  much  at  home  here  as  at 
his  breakfast  table,  had  accomplished  much  in  lit- 
tle time.  Inventing  some  pretext  for  entering  the 
office,  he  returned  with  the  telephone  number  in  his 
head.  Then,  hastening  down  the  corridor  he  lo- 
cated, in  a  near-by  office,  a  telephone  whose  use  was 
readily  procurable.  With  this  done  he  returned  to 
where  he  had  been  when  he  left  the  other  men,  and 
awaited  the  proper  time  to  play  his  part,  which 
would  consist  of  calling  up  the  broker's  office  by 


78  Row  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

'phone  and  by  so  doing  get  the  cashier  away  from 
the  vicinity  of  the  money.  In  the  meantime,  the 
curtain  had  risen  upon  the  great  act  of  the  play. 

The  cashier  was  busy  sorting  out  the  money 
which  lay  upon  the  table.  Mr.  Burbank  and  his 
three  friends,  seated  nearby,  were  engaged  in  casual 
conversation  upon  some  topic.  As  far  as  could  be 
seen,  there  was  none  other  about.  Just  then,  the 
inner  door  of  the  broker's  private  office  was  opened. 
Turning  at  the  sound,  they  beheld  a  business-like 
a^jpearing  man,  pleasant  of  countenance  and  fairly 
redolent  of  prosperity  (for  Wherley  had  stolen  well 
of  late).  He  crossed  the  threshold  and  approached  a 
step  or  two,  and  then — 

''Mr.  Burbank?"  The  tone  was  slightly  inter- 
rogatory. Without  seeming  to  address  anyone  of 
the  four  in  particular,  his  eyes  had,  nevertheless, 
rested  upon  one  who  had  about  liim  that  indefinable 
"at  home"  look.  By  a  happy  guess — or  shall  we 
say  a  keen  discernment^ — Wherley  had  picked  his 
man  with  accuracy. 

Mr.  Burbank  gave  sign  of  attention,  while  the 
visitor  continued — 

"You  will  step  here  jiist  a  moment,  please? — 
here  in  your  private  office." 

Mr.  Burbank  acquiesced  and  had  approached  his 
caller  when  the  latter  added — 

"And  call  in  your  friends,  too — all  members  of 
the  Board,  I  presume?"  (this  last  being  a  query 
addressed  in  an  undertone  to  Mr.  Burbank.) 

Such  was  Wherley's  manner  of  easy  assurance, 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  79 

coupled  with  an  air  of  half  concealed  amusement, 
that  the  broker  complied  and  beckoned  to  his  three 
friends.  Shortly,  they  stood  at  the  threshold,  con- 
fronting one  man,  a  stranger,  and  betokening  their 
wonderment  :.s  to  what  might  be  the  nature  of  his 
errand  to  demand  so  much  secrecy  and  seclusion. 

"Gentlemen,  I  have  a  little  surprise  party  in  store 
for  you — the  best  of  the  season — something  to  make 
you  open  your  eyes."  So  saying,  Wherley  gently 
closed  the  door  excluding  them  from  the  room  they 
had  just  left.  The  ostensible  reason  for  this  was 
that  the  cashier,  still  occupied  wdth  his  money,  was 
within  easy  range  of  hearing,  and  Wherley,  by  a 
word  or  two,  had  intimated  that  none  but  Board 
members  should  learn  what  he  had  to  tell.  "A  lit- 
tle surprise  that  has  been  arranged  for  you,"  said 
Wherley,  in  response  to  the  questioning  gaze  of  the 
four  men — "something  very  entertaining."  At  the 
same  instant,  all  unnoticed  by  the  broker,  he  stroked 
his  forehead  wdth  a  natural  movement  and  slightly 
raised  his  hat  as  if  to  relieve  its  pressure  on  his  head, 
at  the  same  time  glancing  quickly  toward  the  door 
into  the  outer  corridor.  This  door,  by-the-way,  had 
been  left  slightly  ajar  for  the  express  purpose  that 
this  signal  might  be  transmitted.  "Another  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade  is  to  be  made  subject  for 
the  fun,  and  what  I  want  to  learn  of  you  is  where 
you  may  be  reached  at  seven  o'clock  this  evening. 
Name  the  place — we'll  have  carriages  there  to  get 
you." 


80  Uoic  tJie  Bank  Sneak   Works 

"But  Avhat  is  the  nature  of  this  surprise?"  in- 
quired Mr.   Burbank." 

AVherley  grinned  affably — "Well  now.  if  I  told 
you,  it  wouldn't  be  a  surprise." 

Mr.  Burbank  stated  where  he  might  be  found  at 
the  hour  named,  and  then  once  more  became  in- 
quisitive, as  did  the  others.  Wherley  was  sorry  he 
could  not  go  further  into  details.  No  doubt  it  did 
seem  mystifying,  but  indeed,  that  was  part  of  the 
joke.  The  thief's  jovial  smile  was  undimmed  by 
the  questioning  looks  directed  at  him.  Just  wdiat 
emotions  this  smile  may  have  hidden,  we  trust  the 
reader's  imagination  to  picture  when  it  is  stated  that, 
a  short  moment  after  that  careless  movement  whicn 
Wherley  had  made  towards  his  hat  and  the  accom- 
l)anying  glance  toward  the  door,  there  had  come  to 
his  eai*s  a  telephone  ring.  The  ring  was  followed 
by  the  sound  of  the  cashier's  footsteps,  without,  as 
he  made  that  short  but  fatal  trip  away  from  his 
charge,  deceived  by  Watson's  ruse.  Wherley  knew 
that,  just  now,  Moore  was  making  his  first  attempt 
to  get  "big  money." 

"^  Although  the  talk  with  which  the  brokers  were 
])eing  detained  was  the  result  of  very  hasty  prepara- 
tion, still  it  sufficed  to  hold  their  attention  and  the 
~  "stall"  warmed  u])  to  his  task  when  he  realized  all 
that  depended  upon  him. 

"1  am  acting  under  strict  instructions,"  Wherley 
elucidated..  "You  see,  I  am  a  member  of  a  commit- 
tee organized  to  call  upon  you. and  other  brokers  and 
let  v(»u  in  on  the  fun — other  members  of  this  corn- 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  81 

mittee  are  now  in  the  building,  doing  their  share 
toward  bringing  about  this  surprise  (truth  and:  fic- 
tion had  joined  hands). 

"But  who  are  you?"  broke  in  one  of  the  brokers. 

Wherley  wa,s  sorry  he  did  not  dare  tell  them — it 
would  be  unfair  to  the  other  members  of  the  ' 'com- 
mittee" who,  likewise,  were  bound  to  secrecy.  "Why, 
if  I  told  you  just  w^ho  I  am,"  he  exclaimed,  "it  would 
spoil  everything — that's  due  to  the  peculiar  nature 
of  this  surprise.  Just  let  me  ask  you  to  be  content 
to  wait  for  that  carriage  tonight,  and  I  want  to  as- 
sure you  once  more  that  this  is  going  to  be  one  of 
the  most  novel  experiences  you  ever  got  in  on — don't 
miss  any  of  it — be  on  hand  tonight — got  to  go  now 
— good-day!" 

And  so  the  work  had  been  done,  for  Watson,  with- 
out in  the  corridor,  had  seen  that  raising  of  Wher- 
ley's  hat  and  a  moment  later  found  him  in  tele- 
phonic communication  with  the  cashier.  Little  did 
the  latter  suspect  that  he  at  the  other  end  of  the 
wire  was,  in  reality,  but  a  short  distance  away  in  a 
nearby  office.  This  conversation  over  the  'phone 
was  evidence  that  Watson  knew  well  how  to  employ 
the  instrument  for  the  peculiar  purpose  at  hand.. 
He  found  some  protracted  explanations  to  make  be- 
fore he  could  get  to  actual  business,  and  then — he 
was  unable  to  hear  the  cashier's  reply — would  he 
step  a  little  further  from  the  mouthpiece — that 
wasn't  much  better — try  it  closer  again. 

And  so  the  two  stalls  had  gotten  five  men  out  of 
the  way  and  were  holding  their  attention,  and  it  was 


82  Ho IV  the  Bank  Sneak   Worlc8 

time  for  Moore  to  do  his  work.  From  the  corridor, 
he  followed  the  same  route  to  the  table  as  had  the 
messenger — but  then — how^  little  he  suspected  what 
it  meant  to  be  in  the  presence  of  "big  money"  when 
he  had  confidently  assured  Wherley  he  could  "make 
good  anywhere.-'  There  was  spread  upon  that  table 
at  that  time  some  twelve  thousand  dollars  in  cur- 
rency. The  sneak  so  lost  command  of  his  nerve 
that  he  got  away  with  only  three  thousand 
and  ten  dollars.  After  one  thrust  in  the  sack  which 
he  carried,  he  seized,  beside,  what  his  hands  could 
hold  and  fled  with  it  so  hastily  that  the  wonder  is 
the  cashier's  attention  was  not  drawn  from  the  tele- 
phone. As  he  passed  from  the  office  into  the  cor- 
ridor, he  met  Wherley,  who  had  timed  the  work  to 
a  nicety.  Seeing  his  chief,  Moore  tossed  him  all  he 
had  taken — sack,  loose  money  and  all — and  thus 
unburdened,  the  frightened  young  man,  ignoring 
the  elevator,  sprang  down  the  stairway  as  he  had 
come.  Scarcely  a  step  did  he  touch  between  land- 
ings. Conscious  only  that  in  hurrying  down  he  was 
leaving  behind  the  scene  of  his  trying  ordeal,  he  so 
took  leave  of  his  senses  that  he  did  not  notice  when 
he  had  reached  the  main  floor,  but,  instead,  brought 
ui3  aghast  in  the  basement. 

In  the  meantime,  Wherley,  all  unawed  by  what 
was  to  him  no  unusual  amount,  calmly  waited  for 
the  elevator  and  departed  as  leisurely  as  if  his  con- 
nection with  the  "committee"  and  the  nature  of 
the  "surprise  party"  were  as  innocent  as  the  brok- 
ers had  been  induced  to  believe.     About  thirty-five 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  83 

minutes  had  elapsed  between  his  departure  from  the 
hotel  and  his  return. 

The  sequel,  as  disclosed  later,  was  that,  upon 
the  cashier's  return  from  the  telephone  to  the  table, 
he  soon  discovered  the  shortage  but  at  once  jumped 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  brokers  had  taken  the 
money,  with  the  purpose  of  playing  upon  him  a 
practical  joke.  Indeed,  the  joke  spirit  seemed  to  be 
rife  in  that  office.  The  cashier  suggested  to  his 
friends  that  he  recognized  the  joke  as  being  "on 
him,"  but  inasmuch  as  it  was  a  considerable  amount 
tliat  he  would  like  to  have  them  replace  it.  The 
brokers  had  no  idea  what  he  was  talking  about,  but 
after  their  recent  interview  with  the  "committee" 
they  had  become  imbued  wdth  a  notion  that  fun  was 
in  the  air.  And  so  this  non-committal  conversation 
was  maintained  for  upwards  of  two  hours  before 
it  dawned  upon  the  broker  and  his  assistant  that 
the  "surprise  party"  was  a  dreadful  reality  and 
already  had  taken  place. 


84  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 


CHAPTER    VI. 

A     DAY    OF    REVERSALS. 

There  .>^till  may  be  living  in  Chicago  a  man  who, 
if  he  chances  to  read  these  pages,  will  start  in  sur- 
prise. If  such  be  the  case,  his  quickened  interest 
will  be  due  to  discovering  how,  unbeknown  to  him, 
he  came  critically  near  being  robbed  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  all  occurred  in  September  of 
1893.  The  Swindler,  who  had  just  been  released 
from  the  Ohio  State  Penitentiary  at  Columbus,  had 
once  again  gathered  his  forces  and  was  operating 
upon  the  great  Exposition.  This  time  the  personnel 
of  the  "mob"  is  unfamiliar  to  the  reader.  For  the 
life  of  the  bank  thief,  if  it  has  borne  the  aspect  of  a 
merry  round  of  pranks,  is,  in  contradistinction,  most 
frequently  but  a  wanton  dance  at  the  door  of  the 
tomb — for  the  prison  door  gapes  wide] 

The  men,  to  whom  we  shall  refer  in  this  chapter, 
may  the  better  be  introduced,  perhaps,  if  we  suppose 
ourselves  standing  in  a  Chicago  street,  this  Septem- 
ber day  of  the  great  World's  Fair  year,  while  the 
"w^ay  party"  courses  by.  First — the  object  of  pur- 
suit, w^ho  had  no  heed  of  his  danger.  He  was  a  mes- 
senger and  carried  a  shot  bag  crammed  full  of 
money.  If,  heretofore,  a  disparaging  ^vord  has  been 
said  as  to  the  care  such  men  often  take — or  fail  to 
take — this  case,  on  the  other  hand,  will  be  cited  as 
an  instance  of  a  regard  for  the  trust  which  bor- 


liow  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  85 

dered  upon  nervous  apprehension.  Not  far  in  wake 
came  The  k^wmdler.  And  it  was  no  loitering  step 
of  his,  for  the  messenger  moved  with  a  haste  which 
clearly  betokened  his  eagerness  to  get  other  errands 
disposed  of  and  deliver  the  bag  in  a  place  of  secur- 
ity. Ranged  at  safe  intervals  behind  The  SAvindler, 
came  these  men  of  importance,  among  their  un- 
scrupulous and  clever  class.  There  was  one  Char- 
lie Allen,  who  hailed  from'  AVindsor,  Canada,  and 
beside,  two  others:  Sid  Yenna  and  a  man  known 
to  his  fellows  at  Dutch  Louey. 

NoAV,  the  messenger's  route  was  circuitous,  and 
from  time  to  time  he  entered  this  or  that  place  of 
business.  In  this  connection,  let  us  suggest  that,  in 
many  instances  of  record,  much  money  would  have 
been  saved  to  its  rightful  owners  had  they  considered 
its  safe  transportation  sufficient  business  of  itself. 
Never  did  the  messenger  stop  in  store  or  office  that 
The  Swindler  was  not  close  at  his  heels,  ready  with 
a  good  pretext  for  entering  the  same  place.  At 
such  halting  places,  of  course,  the  "mob"  closed  up 
and  deployed  itself,  with  an  alacrity  truly  profes- 
sional, in  such  manner  that  each  man  might  be  able 
to  adapt  himself  to  the  Swindler's  chosen  plan  of 
procedure — as  the  eye  might  disclose  it  to  be,  for 
there  was  little  or  no  time  for  consultation.  Only 
at  the  first  stop  did  the  captain  gain  opportunity 
to  drop  a  word.  This  was  in  relation  to  his  observ- 
ance that  the  shot  bag  of  the  messenger  had  been" 
wrapped  in  manila  paper.  Now,  quickly  acting  on 
his  chief's  instructions,  Allen,  securing  a  sheet  of 


86  HoiD  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

corresponding  tint  and  texture,  hurriedly  manufact- 
ured a  ''ringer,"  that  is  to  say  a  package,  counter- 
part in  external  appearance  and  probable  weight  to 
the  one  of  value,  but  filled,  instead,  with  worthless 
scraps.  This  "ringer"  at  the  next  opportunity  found 
its  way  to  The  Swindler's  hand. 

Hastening  on  (as  indeed  did  the  strange  pro- 
cession) we  find  the  messenger  entering  a  large  car- 
riage repository  on  Wabash  avenue.  Here  he  pauses 
in  conversation  with  a  salesman,  there  being  a  coun- 
ter intervening.  And  upon  this  counter  he  has 
placed  his  paper  enclosed  shot  bag  of  money,  close 
to  one  hand,  and,  if  not  actually  under  his  eye,  at 
the  same  time  so  situated  that  while  his  attention 
is  confined  to  the  salesman  the  parcel  could  not  be 
molested  without  attracting  his  notice.  Close  at  his 
elbow  stands  The  Swindler,  o.stensiljly  waiting  for 
the  salesman  to  finish  his  conversation  and  none  too 
eager  to  interrupt.  Not  far  from  the  two,  and  ap- 
pearing so  naturally  "at  home"  that  his  presence  is 
quite  unheeded,  Allen  has  stationed  himself,  and 
with  near-sighted  concentration  is  reading  a  news- 
paper, so  extended  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
certain  other  salesmen  to  witness  what  the  "stall" 
is  well  aware  The  Swindler  purposes  doing. 

And  w^hat  is  this  that  The  Swindler  contemplates  ? 
For  probably  the  reader  has  not  Allen's  discernment 
in  such  affairs.  The  game,  as  expressed  in  the  ver- 
nacular, is  this:  to  "switch  in  the  ringer."  For  the 
uniniated  we  will  elucidate  that  this  means  a  quick 
and  unobserved  exchange  of  the  package,  duplicate 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Worlcs  87 

in  appearance  but  worthless,  for  the  paper  wrapped 
bag  of  money.  If  this  be  deftly  accomplished,  it 
may  be  some  time  before  the  messenger  discovers 
the  deception.  But,  it  is  "fancy  work"  and  must 
await  the  opportune  moment.  As  regards  the  latter, 
all  that  reasonably  may  be  expected,  considering  the 
messenger's  nervous  heed  of  his  responsibility,  is 
a  momentary  diverting  of  his  eyes  from  the  sales- 
man's face,  and  for  one  fateful  instant  getting  that 
coveted  parcel  without  the  range  of  his  vision.  The 
Swindler  is  aware  that  this  opportune  moment  is 
lo  be  no  matter  of  chance  happening,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  will  be  induced  by  one  of  the  "stalls," 
who,  he  is  certain,  have  comprehended  his  inten- 
tion as  well  as  if  it  were  verbally  stated.  Just  what 
turn  the  "stall's"  ingenuity  will  take  in  bringing 
about  this  shifting  of  the  messenger's  eyes  is  yet 
undisclosed,  even  to  the  man  who  stands  ready  to 
make  that  quick  and  profitable  exchange.  Now 
Yenna  and  Louey,  but  shortly  behind  their  captain 
in  entering  the  repository,  have  become  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  display  of  carriages,  harnesses,  etc. 
Among  other  objects  of  interest,  and  particularly 
amusing  to  Yenna,  whose  manner  is  slightly  sug- 
gestive of  intoxication,  is  a  life-size  wooden  horse — 
a  dummy  modelled  and  accoutered  in  a  strikingly 
realistic  manner.  Yenna  conceives  an  idea  of  play- 
ing into  the  hand  of  his  chief.  Suddenly  becoming 
active  and  noisy,  he  springs  at  the  head  of  the 
statuesque  beast.  With  a  loud  and  ribald  "ha,  ha!" 
he  seizes  the  bridle  and  shouts  at  the  top  of  his 


88  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

voice,  ''Whoa,  whoa,  there!  This  is  the  AVorld's 
Fair!'' 

It  has  been  ahiiost  long  enough  for  the  Swindler 
to  acconipHsh  his  end — Init,  alas,  not  quite  long 
enough.  The  thief  has  secured  the  money,  but  be- 
fore he  can  replace  it  with  the  ''ringer"  the  owner's 
eyes  have  shifted  back  and,  as  you  might  say,  the 
thief  is  caught  red-handed.  But,  forsooth,  he  is 
not  yet  a  thief — not  until  it  is  proven,  and  the 
manner  he  quickly  assumes  would  seem  to  i)rove 
something  quite  different  to  that.  What  if  a  man 
has  lost  his  package  and  accidentally  picked  u})  an- 
other in  mistake?  He  is  not  supposed  to  know  that 
this  other,  so  similar  in  appearance,  is  so  nuicli 
more  valuable  as  to  contents! — And  so  the  messen- 
ger's perturbation  and  alarm  are  met  and  over- 
matched by  an  expression  of  The  SAvindler's  which 
might  have  developed  into  open-eyed  amazement, 
did  he  not  seem,  on  the  instant,  to  comprehend  the 
situation  and  the  "blunder"  he  has  made. 

"WTiy!  What — W^ell,  where  is  my  bundle,  then? 
Have  I  lost  it?" — And  so  saying,  he  moves  down 
the  counter,  wearing  a  look  of  concern.  Just  then, 
Allen  is  on  hand  with  his  newspaper  to  cut  off  the 
view  of  those  Avho  must  not  be  allowed  to  see  just 
where  that  buudle  is  found.  A  moment  there- 
after, The  Swindler  is  once  more  in  view  of  the 
messenger  and  salesman,  and  this  time  he  has  in 
hand  a  package  so  evidently  similar  in  a])i)earance 
that  no  suspicion  is  connected  with  the  occurrence. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  89 

The  substance  of  these  happenings  was  that  The 
Swindler  had  failed,  ^is  indeed  would  be  the  gen- 
eral lot  of  thieves,  were  this  same  degree  of  alert- 
ness reached  by  guardians  of  wealth.  The  thief  is 
apt  to  be  inordinately  clever  along  certain  lines  but 
he  is  also  subject  to  the  laws  jwhich  restrict  the 
attainments  of  other  mortals,  and  even  his  ready 
command  of  wit  may  suffer  its  lapses.  Indeed,  in 
tlie  case  just  mentioned.  The  kS windier  lost  a  golden 
opportunity,  Avhen  returning  the  bundle  to  its 
owner;  he  might,  after  all,  have  substituted  the 
"dummy"  package  which  he  held  in  the  other  hand. 

And  so  the  day  had  begun  badly  and  the  quest 
was  once  more  taken  to  the  bank  district.  But 
there  are  not  many  dull  moments  in  such  a  busi- 
ness, and  the  next  episode  of  consequence  furnished 
"thrills"  that  would  have  quickened  the  pulse  of 
the  most  satiated  adventurer. 

It  transpired  that,  as  the  "mob"  dropped  into 
first  one  bank  and  then  another,  a  singular,  and  to 
them  significant,  circumstance  was  noted.  While 
standing  in  the  lobby  of  one  of  these,  The  Swin- 
dler recognized  the  appearance  of  a  man  and  a 
Avoman,  apparently  the  former's  wife,  who  had  also 
been  present  in  the  last  bank  the  thieves  had  visited.- 
A  few  minutas  later,  in  still  another  bank,  they 
encountered  the  strange  pair.  By  this  time  The 
Swindler's  interest  had  become  so  centered  upon 
them  that  he  had,  by  managing  to  overhear  scraps 
of  conversation,  discovered  the  cause  of  the  dilemma 
which  was  occasioning  this  list  of  calls.     To  repeat 


90  How  ihc  Bank  Sneak  Works 

for  the  reader's  enlightenment,  all  that  The  Swin- 
dler then  learned  or  which  shortly  came  to  his 
knowledge  concerning  their  affairs  and  present  pre- 
dicament, the  facts  were  these:  they  were  German 
and  spoke  English  with  great  difficulty;  the  wife 
evidently  had  charge  of  the  business,  and  she  car- 
ried in  her  hand  a  satchel  partly  filled  wdth  gold 
coins ;  this  money  represented  the  proceeds  of  a  busi- 
ness sale;  their  mission  was  to  get  this  gold  ex- 
changed for  paper  currency;  in  this  they  found 
themselves  blocked  b}^  a  peculiar  condition  of  the 
money  market  which  existed  at  that  time.  While 
gold  represented  the  basis  of  money  value,  in  real- 
ity nobody  wanted  it  for  actual  use  in  business 
transactions.  In  short,  it  was  a  drug  on  the  market. 
Therefore,  inasmuch  as  the  exchange  they  sought 
must  rank  as  a  mere  act  of  accommodation,  they 
wxre  turned  down  at  first  one  bank  and  then  an- 
other, after  a  few  queries  from  the  teller.  These 
queries  invariably  covered  the  same  questions, 
wherever  they  made  their  request,  and  were  to  the 
effect  of  asking  if  they  had  had  any  "recent  busi- 
ness connection  wdth  the  bank" — whether,  in  short, 
there  were  any  well-founded  reason  why  they  should 
have  this  favor  extended  them. 

Now,  so  disconcerted  did  they  become  after  sev- 
eral times  receiving  this  rebuff,  that  the  w^oman 
told  her  troubles,  not  alone  to  the  tellers  of  the  banks 
they  entered,  but  to  w^homsoever  she  encountered  in 
the  lobby  w^hose  appearance  and  manner,  to  her 
notion,  seemed  to  brand  him  as  an  official  of  the 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  91 

in^ititution.  But  it  was  always  the  same  old  story: 
"are  you  a  patron  of  the  bank?  Have  you  done 
business  with  us  recently?" 

At  this  juncture,  The  Swindler,  who  at  no  time 
had  been  so  far  away  as  to  lose  the  trend  of  affairs, 
arrived  at  the  conviction  that  he  must,  for  the  time 
being,  become  an  "official"  Just  here  a  few  words 
must  be  interpolated  as  to  the  "stall's"  material 
equipment  for  his  work.  While  the  "sneak,"  for  his 
chief  need,  carries  a  green  or  black  baize  sack,  the 
"stall"  always,  before  starting  from  his  hotel,  sup- 
plies himself  with  a  newspaper  carelessly  stuck  in 
his  coat  pocket,  and  for  a  purpose  just  now  to  be 
disclosed,  he  is  apt  to  wear  upon  his  head  a  soft 
"crusher"  hat,  easily  collapsible  and  readily  to  be 
whisked  out  of  sight  if  it  be  of  advantage  to  appear 
bareheaded.  Thus  it  was,  then  when  the  German  wo- 
man next  encountered  The  Swindler,  he  was  leaning 
against  a  fixture  with  perfect  assumption  of  that 
"belong  there"  manner.  To  a  more  sophisticated 
individual  than  the  woman  in  question,  he  might, 
indeed,  have  been  placed  in  conjecture  as  an  official 
who  had  just  stepped  from  his  private  office.  In  the 
meantime,  as  was  their  habit,  the  other  thieves 
had  scattered  about  the  lobby  with  a  view  of  taking 
care  of  emergencies  and  helping  out  as  their  chief's 
intentions  were  unfolded. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  it  was  but  a  short 
while  before  the  woman  had  inquired  of  The  Swin- 
dler if  he  were  not  an  official.  Replying  in  her 
native  tongue   (to  her  evident  satisfaction),  he  ad- 


92  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

iiiittc'd  that  he  was,  and  at  the  .same  time  simulated 
a  trul}'  official  wonderment  as  to  what  excuse  she. 
might  have  for  taking  up  his  valuable  time. 

She  made  known  her  request. 

He  looked  doubtful,  and  then — '^Are  you  a  patron 
of  the  bank? — Have  you  done  business  with  us  re- 
cently?" ^     * 

In  the  course-  of  her  voluble  explanations,  the 
woman  mentioned  that  she  and  her  husband  were 
en  route  to  Texas,  whither  the  entire  amount  of 
money  was  to  be  carried,  intact. 

"Where,  in  Texas?" — inquired  The  Swindler,  be- 
ginning to  look  slightly  less  bored — "Oh,  you  are 
going  to  Dallas" — evidently,  he  had  acquired  some 
little  interest  in  the  matter.  The  fact  was,  so  he 
explained  to  her,  that  his  bank  had  a  correspondent 
in  that  city  and,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  she  could 
be  counted  as  the  latter's  prospective  customer,  he 
might,  at  this  end  of  the  line,  make  an  exception  to 
their  present  rule  of  avoiding  the  receipt  of  large 
sums  in  gold.  If  she  would  Avait  a  moment  he 
would  ascertain. 

Now,  while  things  were  progrcssing  smoothly 
enough  for  the  crook,  it  appeared  at  this  juncture 
that  some  scheme  must  be  devised  to  clinch  matters 
and  allay  any  suspicion  which  possibly  might  be 
born  in  her  mind,  were  he  to  attempt  gaining  pos- 
session of  the  satchel  while  still  in  the  lobby.  In- 
deed, it  was  necessary  that  she  should  be  placed 
where  she  could  not  see  him  leave  the  bank  when 
he  carried  away  the  bag  for  the  ostensible  purpose 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  93 

of  gettiiiLj,'  its  contents  changed  into  banknotes. 
After  he  had  excused  himself  from  the  woman,  sub- 
sequent to  that  first  conversation,  The  Swindler, 
aware  that  she  held  hmi  under  close  surveillance, 
walked  briskly  to  the  door  of  the  vice-president's 
room.  Some  such  movement  as  this  was  essential 
if  he  were  to  make  good  in  his  newly-acquired  dis- 
tinction. The  intrusion  to  the  bona  fide  official's 
room  could,  be  explained  by  some  simple  pretext, 
and  furthermore  The  Swindler's  mind  had  just  con- 
ceived an  idea  that  might  bear  fruit  provided  the 
vice-president  were  alone  in  the  office.  Happily  for 
the  thief's  interest,  such  a  favorable  circumstance 
existed.  It  was  now  a  question  of  a  bold  front  be- 
fore a  supposedly  keen  business  man,  rather  than 
a  woman  unfamiliar  with  her  surroundings.  The 
Swindler,  coolly  assuming  that  the  vice-president 
recognized  in  him  a  patron  wdiom  it  would  be 
advantageous  to  please,  briefly  and  without  any 
attempt  to  particularize,  explained  that  he  was  in 
the  act  of  consummating  a  "deal,"  the  nature  of 
which  was  such  that  some  conversation  concerning 
various  points  was  needful.  For  this  purpose,  the 
open  lobby  was  ill  adapted.  In  short-,  this  "patron" 
would  like  to  borrow  the  use  of  the  vice-president's 
office.  It  is  a  fact  of  record  that  the  official  in 
question  readily  acquiesced,  even  assuring  The 
Swindler  that  he  was  welcome  to  the  office  as  long 
as  he  wanted  it  for  his  purpose. 

At  this  point,  let  us  say  a  word   regarding  the 


94  How  the  Banh' Sneak  Works 

aiTangeiiicnt  of  oflk-e.s  in  this  bank.  The  main 
entrance  of  the  bank  and  the  entrance  to  the  vice- 
j)resident's  private  office  occupied  each  a  position  at 
either  end  of  the  lobby.  The  various  cages  and 
offices  which  flanked  this  lobby,  at  one  point 
near  the  before-mentioned  private  office,  jutted 
out  into  the  lobby.  It  was  this  irregularity 
ol  the  line  marking  the  exterior  of  the  cages 
which  resulted  in  a  corner  where  one  might  stand 
and  be  out  of  the  range  of  view  from  the  private 
office.  Attention  is  called  to  this  detail  by  reason 
of  its  relation  to  an  incident  soon  to  be  related. 

It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  remark  that  The 
Swindler  lost  no  time  in  following  up  his  lead. 
In  a  very  short  time,  seated  at  the  official  desk,  he 
announced  to  the  woman  of  the  burdensome  gold 
that  he  had  arranged  to  accommodate  her.  With 
the  true  thoroughness  of  her  race,  the  German  lady 
insisted  upon  counting  out  the  money  before  he 
left  with  it.  Perhaps  The  Swindler  was  not  over 
and  above  particular  as  to  an  odd  eagle  or  two. 
However,  he  gave  no  sign  of  undue  haste,  and, 
when  the  timely  moment  arrived,  he  took  up  the 
satchel  with  the  manner  of  one  whose  good  nature 
is  being  exercised — and  departed. 

But  the  end  is  not  yet.  Indeed,  the  end,  as  it 
vitally  concerned  The  Swindler,  was  not  concluded 
until  he  had  sojourned  a  year  at  Joliet.  For  what 
shall  it  profit  a  chief  to  dare  much  if  his  work  is 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  95 

to  be  undone  by  the  carelessness  of  those  confed- 
erates upon  whom  he  has  imposed  his  trust.  The 
work  of  the  ''stalls"  had  not  been  particularly  spe- 
cialized in  this  case,  except  as  to  the  function  of 
the  one  called  Louey.  It  was  expected  of  him  so 
to  obstruct  a  view  through  the  glass  door  leading 
to  the  private  office  where  the  woman  was  seated, 
that  the  latter  would  be  unable  to  see  what  became 
of  The  Swindler  when  he  passed  out  of  the  bank — 
and  so  be  left  undisturbed  in  her  conclusion  that 
he  had,  indeed,  gone  to  effect  the  desired  exchange. 
Louey  began  his  work  prematurely.  Through  a 
fatal  misunderstanding,  he  took  up  his  station  too 
soon  and  left  just  as  it  was  of  real  advantage  for 
him  to  remain.  The  Swindler  had  stepped  im- 
mediately around  the  corner  toward  a  teller's  win- 
dow— the  corner  to  which  allusion  has  been  made. 
So  far  from  desiring  that  the  owner  of  the  money 
should  not  see  him  start  in  this  direction,  it  was 
really  his  expectation  that  her  observance  of  this 
move  would  further  his  plan  of  deception.  Safely 
hidden  behind  the  protruding  fixtures,  he  placed 
his  hat  upon  his  head,  and  again  started — this  time 
for  the  street.  Walking  leisurely  and  not  once 
looking  back,  he  rested  in  confidence  that  Louey 
was  still  at  his  post — a  confidence,  he  was  soon  to 
learn  to  his  sorrow,  had  been  sadly  misplaced.  For 
the  "stall"  misguided  by  false  conclusions,  had 
moved  over  toward  a  teller's  window  looking  for 
possible  contingencies  in  that  direction. 


96  hoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

As  the  work,  in  so  far  as  it  ma}'  be  of  direct  in- 
terest to  bank  men,  has  reached  an  end,  we  will  pass 
briefly  over  what  ensued.  The  Swindler  was  ob- 
served by  the  anxious  woman  as  he  passed  through 
the  street  entrance.  Rushing  out  into  the  lobby  she 
raised  an  outcry,  all  too  well  understood  by  the 
thief.  Knowing  much  better  than  to  take  to  his 
heels,  he  maintained  the  same  air  of  composure  that 
had  characterized  the  work  already  done.  An  ex- 
cited, Ijut'  undecided  crowd  aiready  had  closed  in 
upon  him  when  came  the  "stalls."  Theirs  was  the 
task,  or  the  opportunity  perhaps,  of  demonstrating 
their  right  to  command  respect  in  the  world  of 
graft.  The  satchel  of  gold  was  deftly  passed  from 
one  to  the  other,  and  then  assuming  an  air  of 
authority,  they  elbowed  their  way  through  the  thick- 
ening mass  with  cries  of  '^stand  aside — what's  the 
matter?  — where  is  he?" — Then  the  rough  hand  of 
Charlie  Allen  was  laid  upon  The  Swindler,  and  in 
a  commanding  tone  he  exclaimed,  "liere,  you  come 
with  me/" 

Thus  these  men,  to  save  their  chief,  employed 
every  trick  applicable  to  the  situation,  which  be- 
longed to  criminal  lore  or  was  born  of  the  instant. 
But  the  end  was  near,  and  the  appearance  of  two 
bona  fide  officers  of  the  law  resulted  in  The  Swin- 
dler's arrest  and  ultimate  conviction.  The  reader, 
whose  sympathies  have  been  quickened  by  the  Ger- 
man woman's  plight,  w^e  wish  to  reassure  with  the 
intelligence  that,  in  time,  she  recovered  the  major 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  97 

portion  of  her  money,  although  the  writer  regrets 
that  he  cannot  state  whether,  when  thus  reimbursed, 
this  woman  of  dearly  acquired  experience,  found 
herself  possessed  of  gold  or  paper  currency. 


Hoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 


CHAPTER    VII. 

RECENT    OPERATIONS. 

It  may  be  that  the  reader  has  acquired  some 
scej^ticism  as  to  the  possibility,  in  view  of  the  latter 
day  advancement  in  banking  methods  and  pre- 
cautions, of  consummating  such  felonious  schemes 
as  already  have  been  described.  It  is  quite  true  that 
the  four  preceding  chapters  treat  of  criminal  op- 
erations occurring  prior  to  the  last  ten  years;  there- 
fore in  order  that  this  book  may  seem  to  have  a 
value  pertinent  to  present  existing  conditions,  it  is 
our  puri^ose  briefly  to  call  attention  to  some  attacks 
made,  since  the  year  nineteen  hundred,  upon  sup- 
posedly secure  institutions. 

In  1901  a  bank  sneak  named  Phil  Bailey,  was 
making  a  scout  through  Boston's  banking  district 
just  to  see  what  might  turn  up.  He  was,  at  this 
time,  unattended  by  any  confederate,  and  it  is  quite 
probable  he  had  no  intention  of  doing  any  big  work. 
.Vs  it  hapiDcned,  however,  while  passing  close  to  a 
teller's  window,  his  practiced  eye  noted  a  large 
package  of  bills  on  a  shelf  within  the  cage  and  dis- 
tant from  the  window  perhaps  three  feet.  With 
such  a  man,  to  see  is  to  act,  or  more  explicitly, 
the  perception  of  possibility  institutes  some  plan  for 
reducing  it  to  fact.  In  two  or  three  minutes  Bailey 
had  seen  and  accomplished  much;  in  perhaps  ten 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  99 

minutes  he  walked  out  with  the  bundle  of  money 
($10,000.00). 

And  how  did  he  do  it?  Very  simply.  The  work 
was  done  in  this  maimer.  In  that  first  compre- 
hensive glance  Bailey  had  noted  that  the  telephone 
was  so  located  that  the  teller  in  question  would  have 
to  leave  his  cage  and  walk  some  little  distance  in 
order  to  reach  it.  Acting  upon  the  idea  born  of 
the  observation,  the  thief  walked  to  another  win- 
dow and  called  for  a  copy  of  the  Bank  Reporter. 
From  this  he  learned  the  name  of  the  teller,  whose 
temporary  absence  from  his  post  was  absolutely  es- 
sential if  one  were  to  steal  the  before  mentioned 
bundle  of  notes.  Bailey's  next  move  after  learning 
from  the  book  the  teller's  name,  was  to  leave  the 
bank  and  look  about  in  the  same  building  for  an 
office  telephone  he  might  use.  Having  located  such, 
he  called  up  the  bank  and  asked  that  the  teller  be 
summoned  to  the  phone — this,  however,  not  until 
he  had  made  a  second  trip  to  the  bank  to  satisfy 
himself  that  conditions  remained  the  same.  The 
teller  responded  to  the  call,  leaving  the  cage  unoc- 
cupied and  its  valuable  contents  unprotected.  "But," 
you  say,  "the  thief  was  at  the  other  end  of  the  phone, 
and  although  in  the  same  or-  an  adjacent  build- 
ing was,  nevertheless,  out  of  stealing  range."  Yes, 
for  a  brief  moment  he  was  and  then  he  had  closed 
in  on  the  game.  For  what  the  teller  heard  over  the 
telephone  was  something  like  this,  supposing  the 
teller's  name  to  be  Mr.  Brown: 


100  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

"Hello— this  Mr.  Brown?— Well  just  wait  till 
1  call  Mr.  Smith ;  he  wanted  to  speak  to  you" — and 
(a  half  minute  later) — ''Mr.  Smith  seems  to  have 
stepped  into  the  next  office.  If  you'll  just  hold  the 
wire  a  minute,  Mr.  Brown,  I'll  go  get  him — busi- 
ness important,  I  think."  The  above  does  not  pur- 
port to  be  a  record  of  that  conversation,  but  in  sub- 
stance, it  will  serve  to  show  what  state  of  affairs 
Bailey  had  been  able  to  produce,  as  it  existed  when 
he  again  entered  the  bank  lobby. 

No  simile  can  so  adequately  portray  the  situa- 
tion as  to  say  that  the  teller  was  tied  up  to  the 
telephone  like  a  patient  horse  to  a  hitching  post. 
What  the  thief  did,  was  to  thrust  his  umbrella 
through  the  window  and  "hook"  the  coveted  pack- 
age, while  the  deluded  teller,  with  receiver  pressed 
to  his  ear,  awaited  conversation  with  the  procrastin- 
ating Mr.  Smith. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention,  however,  that  a  woman 
employee,  a  bookkeeper,  was  so  keenly  alive  to  the 
serious  nature  of  bank  business  that,  when  she  saw 
a  man  walking  out  with  a  bundle  of  money  and 
connected  the  occurrence  with  the  peculiar  circum- 
stance that  the  teller  was  not  in  his  cage,  she  found 
occasion  to  bring  the  matter  to  the  latter's  atten- 
tion. Thus  an  alarm  quickly  was  raised,  but  Bailey 
had  vanished  for  the  time  being,  though  he  was 
subsequently  capluied  in  New  York  City,  convicted, 
and  the  money  returned. 

Another  case  of  similar  nature — that  is  to  say  a 
case  of  what  is  termed  a  simple  "reach" — occurred 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  101 

in  St.  Paul  in  the  spring  of  1903.  While  the  work 
was  devoid  of  exciting  incident  and  required  but  lit- 
tle skill  on  the  part  of  the  thieves,  it  will  serve  to 
show  the  degree  of  respect  entertained  by  the  crim- 
inal class  for  organized  protection. 

The  robbery  in  question  was  committed  on  Mon- 
day and  formed  the  sequel  to  a  profitless  Saturday, 
which  four  bank  thieves  had  spent  in  Minneapolis. 
It  may  be  said  that  it  is  a  cardinal  principle  among 
professional  crooks  at  least  to  make  enough  out  of 
a  trip  to  pay  travelling  and  hotel  expenses,  for 
such  men  are  usually  versatile,  in  their  way,  and 
though  no  opportunity  be  afforded  for  making  a 
big  haul,  they  seldom  find  it  necessary  to  go  home 
empty-handed.  So  it  was  that,  while  dropping  into 
one  and  then  another  of  St.  Paul's  banks  on  the  day 
mentioned,  they  discovered  an  opportunity  for  reach- 
ing into  a  teller's  window  and  taking  a  package  of 
bills.  Though  this  bundle  contained  only  the  "in- 
significant" sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  it  would 
save  the  expedition  from  Ijeing  an  utter  failure.  De- 
tails concerning  the  actual  performance  of  this  work 
are  wanting,  but  the  sequel,  coupled  with  a  certain 
oversight,  bears  direct  relationship  to  our  subject. 
In  the  opening  chapter  of  this  book,  mention  was 
made  of  the  fact  that  the  first  observation  of  a  bank 
sneak  is  to  ascertain,  by  means  of  the  warning  signs 
commonly  hung  over  tellers'  windows,  if  the  bank 
in  question  holds  membership  in  the  American 
Bankers'  Association.  If  it  should  not  yet  have 
been  made  sufficiently  clear  to  the  reader,  we  will 


102  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

again  state  that  thi.s  association,  in  coniniou  with 
others  organized  in  the  interest  of  merchants  who 
deal  in  goods  of  great  value,  is  protected  by  the 
Pinkerton  National  Detective  Agency,  a  concern, 
which  crooks  in  general  recognize  as  a  most  dan- 
gerous foe. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  a  relevant  remark 
to  say  that  the  author  has  no  allianca  with  that  com- 
pany and  what  is  told  regarding  it  should  not  be 
taken  by  the  reader  as  being  purely  laudatory.  But 
it  is  intended  conscientiously  to  state  conditions  as 
they  exist,  and  it  would  be  withholding  the  truth 
were  we  to  ignore  the  effectual  resistance  which 
crime  receives  from  this  source. 

Now  the  .St.  Paul  bank,  the  robbery  of  which  is 
occupying  our  attention,  teas,  in  truth,  an  Associa- 
tion bank,  but  men  in  charge  had  neglected  to  post 
the  customary  signs  indicating  such  membership. 
This  oversight  resulted  in  the  thieves  committing 
the  act  which  ^vould  make  it  their  unwelcome  lot 
to  dodge  the  Pinkerton  searchlight. 

Just  what  danger  overshadowed  this  particular 
•^mob"  will  better  be  understood  when  it  is  explained 
that  expert  thieves  of  this  class,  instead  of  being  un- 
known quantities  to  the  Agency,  are  so  well  known, 
as  to  identity  and  whereabouts,  that  it  is  possible, 
and  indeed  the  practice  of.  the  various  departments, 
to  keep  a  close  surveillance  over  the  movements  of 
those  whose  detection  may,  at  any  time,  be  de- 
manded. So  it  was  that,  in  the  case  first  cited,  the 
appearance  of  these  expert  thieves  on  Saturday  in 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  103 

Miiiiieapolis  had  been  noted  and  reported  to  head- 
quarters by  operatives,  always  on  the  alert  for  famil- 
iar faces.  Therefore,  it  is  readily  to  be  understood 
how  this  information  regarding  the  advent  of  the 
''mob"  in  Minneapolis  was  immediately  connected 
with  the  report,  coming  the  second  day  thereafter, 
of  a  robbery  in  the  sister  city.  But  mere  suspicion 
does  not  furnish  grounds  for  conviction,  and  while 
the  detectives  were  searching  for  facts  to  complete 
their  chain  of  evidence  and  substantiate  their  con- 
viction as  to  who  had  stolen  the  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, the  guilty  men  returned  to  Chicago  and  again 
came  in  touch  with  those  of  their  class  living  in  that 
city. 

Now  while  it  is  true  that  the  Agency  keeps  itself 
fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  movements  of  men 
of  known  dangerous  character,  it  is  also  a  fact  that 
these  latter  individuals  find  various  sources  of  infor- 
mation through  which  they  occasionally  anticipate 
the  investigations  that  are  being  pursued  by  the 
authorities.  Owing  to  such  an  existing  condition, 
it  was  not  long  before  the  thieves,  wh.o  hitherto  had 
considered  trivial  the  danger  incurred  by  their  feloni- 
ous expedient  for  paying  expenses  were  startled  and 
mystified  by  the  intelligence,  that  "The  Eye"  was 
peering  into  the  darkness  of  the  under  world  in 
search  of  the  men  who  had  made  that  "reach." 

In  their  belief  that  the  bank  they  had  "touched" 
was  not  in  the  American  Bankers'  Association,  the 
crooks  found  it  difficult  to  account  for  the  Agency's 
strenuous  activity.    However,  to  men  versed  in  such 


104  Hoiu  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

matters,  there  could  be  but  one  explanation :  it  must 
be  that  their  assumption  of  the  bank's  non-member- 
ship had,  after  all,  been  a  too  hasty  conclusion,  and 
a  disastrous  blunder.  Losing  no  time,  they  re- 
ferred to  the  records  and  found  such  to  be  the  case. 

If  the  account  of  this  crime  is  of  any  value  to  the 
reader  it  will  consist  in  showing  how  complete  and 
thoroughly  organized  protection  would  serve  in  les- 
sening the  depredations  that  now  menace  com- 
merce, for  it  transpired  shortly  after  the  thieves'  dis- 
covery of  their  error  that  they  contrived  to  estab- 
lish safe  communication  with  the  authorities  and 
arranged  the  return  of  the  five  hundred  dollars  to 
the  rightful  owners. 

Though  this  volume  is  intended  i)rimarily  for 
the  benefit  of  bank  men,  it  may  be  considered  that 
even  with  this  object  in  view,  the  large  ticket  office 
comes  rightly  within  its  province. 

In  the  year  1904,  a  prominent  railway  com- 
pany lost  a  considerable  amount  of  money  by  reason 
of  the  robbery  of  one  of  its  prominent  ticket  offices. 
This  theft  took  place  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
three  clerks,  to  say  nothing  of  others  about  the  place. 

Those  familiar  with  a  common  arrangement  of 
city  ticket  offices  can  readily  produce  in  mind  an 
outer  lobby  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  long,  broad 
counter  suitable  for  the  handling  and  display  of 
tickets,  maps,  etc.  This  counter  divided  the  entire 
room  let  us  say  in  half,  and  that  portion  separated 
from  the  customer's  lobby  was  presided  over  by  three 
salesmen.     Each  one  of  these  three  salesmen  had  a 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  105 

section  of  the  counter  where  he  was  accustomed  to 
wait  upon  ticket  purchasers.  In  like  manner,  each 
man  had  for  his  individual  use,  one  of  three  cash 
drawers.  To  reach  this  cash  drawer  the  salesman 
must  turn  away  from  his  counter  and  step  across 
the  inner  division  of  the  room  as  just  indicated. 
Now  this  rectangular  space  behind  the  counter  could 
only  be  reached  from  the  rear  end  and  after  passing 
through  two  intervening  rooms.  As  to  the  last 
mentioned  rooms,  however,  they  were  occupied  only 
by  telephone  operators  who  were  not  to  be  considered 
by  the  thieves  in  the  light  of  danger.  Now  directly 
opposite  the  rear  (and  sole)  entrance  to  the  clerks' 
working  space,  and  at  the  further  end  (being  the 
front  end)  there  was  a  wide  ledge  running  across 
the  customary  large  plate  glass  window. 

It  happened  that  a  "mob"  of  four  bank  thieves 
chanced  to  be  passing  this  window  shortly  before 
banking  hours  in  the  afternoon.  Also  it  had  tran- 
spired before  their  advent  that,  the  deposit  having 
been  made  up,  and  placed  in  a  bank  book,  it  was  laid 
upon  the  before  mentioned  window  ledge  so  as  to  be 
plainly  in  view  from  the  sidewalk. 

The  reader  by  this  time  must  have  become  so 
familiar  with  the  subject  that  he  will  anticipate 
some  of  that  which  immediately  ensued.  The 
"stalls"  waited  in  the  lobby  to  take  care  of  the  clerks 
should  that  be  necessary.  As  a  matter  of  fact  they 
were  all  so  engaged  with  customers  that  t,he  sneak 
who  had  effected  the  rear  entrance,  was  able  to  walk 
boldly  behind  them  Avithout  attracting  attention — 


106  Row  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

so  busine.s.s-like  wa.s  his  step  and  iiiaiiiiei'.  Just  as 
he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  money  a  slight  oversight 
and  an  accompanying  movement  of  haste  came  near 
the  accomplishment  of  his  undoing.  It  had  escaped 
notice  that  beside  the  stack  of  bank  notes,  there  were 
two  or  three  gold  pieces  laid  on  top  and  so  placed 
that  when  the  sneak  seized  the  book  and  thrust  it 
in  his  pocket  they  flew  to  the  floor  with  a  noisy 
clatter. 

The  attention  of  the  clerks  was  attracted  and  this, 
of  course,  threw  the  Ijurden  of  the  work  upon  the 
''stalls"  who  must  instantly  establish  a  plausible  ex- 
planation for  the  clatter — one  other  than  the  real 
cause.  To  begin  with,  during  all  the  critical  time 
that  was  consumed  by  the  sneak  in  gaining  access 
to  the  treasure,  one  of  the  ''stalls"  had  employed 
that  "stock  trick,"  of  nerv'ously  tapping  with  an 
umbrella.  Upon  the  instant  of  this  accident  another 
of  the  confederates  dropped  his  keys  with  a  rattling- 
sound,  at  the  same  time,  exclaiming  in  loud  and 
irritated  tones.  And  the  sneak — the  coins  had 
scarcely  struck  the  floor  before  his  back  was  turned 
to  the  clerks,  and  he  was  engaged  in  sorting  over 
some  papers  which  lay  upon  a  shelf.  So  cool  was  his 
assumption  of  the  "belong  there"  manner  that  the 
clerk's  passing  glance  did  not  rest  upon  him.  A 
moment  later,  a  scarcely  audible  sound,  made  by 
a  confederate's  lips,  notified  him  that  the  way  was 
again  clear  for  his  exit. 

Another  roljber}' — the  theft  of  money  from  a  ticket 
office  in  the  south — occurred  shortlv  after,  but  will 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  107 

not  be  described,  since  it  is  similar  in  every  im- 
portant feature  to  the  instance  just  related. 

Once  more  returning  to  the  immediate  consid- 
eration of  stealing  from  banks,  we  find  that  an  at- 
tempt was  made  in  San  Francisco  in  1905,  which 
serves  well  to  illustrate  what  a  certain  class  of  crim- 
inals may  be  able  to  accomplish  by  the  exercise  of 
mere  audacity,  quite  apart  from  work  calling  for 
more  delicate  finesse.  In  the  case  spoken  of  an 
all  but  successful  effort  was  made  by  a  bold  thief  to 
carry  out  a  sack  containing  twenty  thousand  dollars 
in  gold,  the  while  he  must  needs  come  directly  under 
the  observation  of  men  employed  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  San  Francisco.  Shortly  before  the 
job  was  done,  the  sneak,  unattended  by  any  con- 
federate, chanced  to  be  walking  past  the  above  men- 
tioned bank.  Coming  in  front  of  the  institution,  his 
eye  was  attracted  by  an  occurrence  well  calculated 
to  halt  a  man  of  his  character.  What  he  saw  and 
learned  later  was  as  follows : 

A  large  amount  of  gold  coin  was  being  sent  out 
from  the  bank  and  one  man,  a  porter,  was  engaged 
in  carrying  from  an  inner  room  to  the  street  sacks 
of  double  eagles,  each  containing  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  The  sneak  stepped  into  the  bank  and  his 
further  investigation  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  room 
from  whence  the  gold  came  was  easily  accessible.  A 
moment  of  observation  convinced  him  that  the  por- 
ter engaged  in  the  work  of  transferring  this  money 
passed  to  and  from  the  room,  receiving  very  little  at- 
tention from  employees,  to  say  nothing  of  the  close 


108  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

scrutiny  that  would  have  been  a  proper  precaution, 
so  accustomed  had  the  clerks  become  to  the  porter's 
passage  in  and  out  of  the  building  with  his  costly 
freight.  Now  it  occurred  just  then  to  the  sneak 
that  under  these  circumstances  there  might  be  an  at- 
tractive profit  in  the  porter  business,  so  watching 
for  that  time  when  the  bona  fide  carrier  was  at  such 
a  stage  in  one  of  his  trips  that  there  would  be  little 
danger  of  collision  between  the  two,  he  boldly  opened 
a  gate  in  the  fixtures,  and  simulating  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, the  gait  and  natural  carriage  of  the  honest 
porter,  the  one  with  thievish  intent  stepped  boldly 
into  the  inner  recesses  of  the  great  banking  institu- 
tion. Here  in  the  presence  of  millions  in  cash,  he  re- 
tained his  composure.  Quite  as  unconcernedly  as  one 
might  possess  himself  of  a  sack  of  meal,  the  sneak 
picked  up  a  bag  of  gold  from  its  resting  place  upon  a 
truck. 

Coolly  assuming  the  manner  of  one  who  had  a 
perfect  right  so  to  do,  he  walked  out  of  the  room  and 
thence  to  the  street,  following  the  route  which  the 
regular  porter  was  accustomed  to  take.  The  thief 
had  counted  upon  being  mistaken  for  an  employee 
of  the  concern  and  thus  far  he  had  guessed  aright. 
Indeed,  had  he  been  afforded  any  opportunity  to  pro- 
vide himself  with  apparel  similar  to  that  which  the 
porter  wore,  there  is  little  likelihood  that  the  crime 
would  have  been  discovered  in  time  to  effect  a  re- 
covery of  the  money.  As  it  was,  however,  his  make- 
up was  highly  unsuitable  for  the  part,  he  being  ar- 
rayed in  such  a  suit  of  clothes  as  a  bank  porter 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  109 

might  covet  in  vain,  saying  nothing  of  wearing  it 
at  daily  work.  So  it  wad  that  this  dissimilarity  in 
attire  attracted  the  eye  of  a  cashier  just  as  the  sneak 
with  his  booty  had  gained  the  street  entrance.  Closer 
scrutiny  on  the  part  of  the  bank  man  resulted  in  an 
alarm  being  sounded,  whereupon  chase  at  once  was 
given.  The  thief,  discerning  that  the.  theft  had  been 
detected,  hurried  down  an  alley,  which,  however, 
proved  to  be  what  is  termed  a  "blind"  alley — that  is 
to  say,  there  was  no  outlet  for  traffic.  Into  the  rear 
door  of  a  small  restaurant  went  the  thief — a  restau- 
rant and  hotel  it  turned  out  to  be — and,  walking  up 
to  the  clerk's  counter,  he  laid  down  his  bag  of  gold 
quite  as  if  it  were  a  purchase  of  small  value.  But 
the  bank  cashier  was  close  at  his  heels  and  rushing 
up  to  the  counter,  he  seized  the  sack  of  gold  from 
where  the  thief  had  laid  it.  Then  turning  upon  the 
latter  he  accused  him  of  being  what  he  really  was — 
the  purloiner  of  one  thousand  double  eagles.  Of 
course  the  usual  parley  ensued — feigned  astonish- 
ment and  indignant  protestations  of  innocence  by 
the  crook  and  insistence  of  guilt  on  the  part  of  the 
bank  man,  who  was  evidently  not  a  man  to  be  trifled 
with  since  it  seems  he  took  the  thief  and  the  money 
back  through  the  alley  to  the  street.  However,  al- 
though the  cashier  regained  the  money,  he  failed 
to  retain  custody  of  his  man,  for  the  latter,  seeing  an 
opportunity  for  escape  through  crowded  traffic  in 
the  street,  seized  a  moment  of  inattention  on  the 
part  of  his  captor  and  darted  away  through  a  cable 
train  and  escaped. 


110  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

It  may  be  said  in  respect  to  this  bold  attempt  at 
robbery  that  the  work  was  characterized  more  by 
reckless  daring  than  by  level-headedness.  The  bank 
in  question  is  a  member  of  the  Association  and  tire- 
less efforts  were  made  to  recapture  the  fugitive. 
Whether  or  not  these  have  been  successful  may  soon 
be  determined,  for  after  a  lapse  of  two  years,  a  man 
is  now  en  route  for  the  coast  to  stand  trial  on  the 
charge. 

It  might  be  possible  to  write  at  much  greater 
leng-th,  pointing  to  many  similar  cases  which  have 
disconcerted  bank  men  during  late  years.  However, 
it  would  seem  that,  in  this  and  preceding  chapters, 
enough  facts  and  circumstances  have  been  related  to 
throw  light  upon  the  subject,  should  the  bank  man 
seriously  have  in  mind  the  beating  of  thieves  at  their 
own  game — the  game  of  wits.  It  is  to  the  reader,  so 
inclined,  that  the  next  chapter,  with  its  conclusions 
and  suggestions,  is  particularly  addressed. 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  111 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

RESUME HINTS  AND  SUGGESTIONS. 

Having  concluded  that  portion  of  the  book  de- 
scriptive of  crimes  actually  committed,  we  will  add 
what,  in  substance,  may  previously  have  been 
stated;  that  is,  that  the  bank  man,  supposing  that 
he  counts  as  serious  the  danger  of  being  robbed  by 
the  bank  sneak,  must  sooner  or  later  see  the  neces- 
sity of  acquainting  himself  with  that  individual's 
working  methods  as  thoroughly  as  does  the  latter 
familiarize  himself  with  ordinary  banking  proced- 
ure. The  bank,  to  the  bank  sneak,  is  an  open 
book.  On  the  other  hand,  the  bank  man's  knowl- 
edge of  the  class  of  thieves  assailing  him  and  the 
acting  principles  underlying  their  work,  is  most 
often  confined  to  the  fruits  of  single  personal  expe- 
rience. As  a  result,  precautions  commonly  taken 
in  banks  are  well  likened  to  closing  the  last  door 
through  which  a  thief  has  entered.  Comparatively 
little  effort  is  made,  outside  of  detective  circles,  to 
anticipate  the  sneak's  ingenuity. 

In  the  foregoing  chapters  of  narrative,  care  has 
been  taken  accurately  to  describe  in  detail  a  num- 
ber of  crimes  selected  with  a  view  to  bringing  out 
certain  weaknesses  of  which  intelligent  criminals 
make  capital.  It  would  seem  that,  chief  among 
the  weaknesses  mentioned,  is  a  propensity  on  the 


112  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

part  of  bank  men  and  clerks  to  accept  what  we  have 
chosen  to  term  the  "belong  there  manner/'  as  sat- 
isfactory excuse  for  a  man's  presence  anywhere.  In- 
deed, there  is  more  than  one  case  on  record  where 
a  thief  actually  has  walked  in  and  out  of  a  vault, 
under  the  eyes  of  employees,  and  gone  away  un- 
suspected of  criminal  intentions — just  because  he 
simulated  a  perfect  right  so  to  do.  While  this 
clearly  indicates  a  dangerous  laxity  in  the  care  taken 
by  bank  men,  it  is  not  intended,  on  the  other  hand, 
to  preach  the  doctrine  of  maintaining  an  attitude 
of  open  suspicion  toward  any  and  all  who  have  busi- 
ness with  the  concern,  be  they  honest  or  otherwise. 
We  Ijelieve  that  a  distinction  may  l)e  drawn  between 
the  two  extremes.  The  business  of  a  bank  is,  in 
large  mea.sure,  co-operative  with  the  patrons.  It 
is  the  latter's  money  which  is  being  handled.  He 
would  be  defeating  his  own  interests,  were  he  to 
take  offense  at  being  required  thoroughly  to  estab- 
lish his  identity  and  character  as  a  man  of  integ- 
lity  before  he  is  allowed  to  exceed  lii)erties  properly 
liermitted  of  total  strangers.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  honest  man  is  quite  apt  to  show  good  cause  for 
his  intrusion  before  he  essays  to  take  any  liberties. 
It  is  most  often  the  thief  who  assumes  that  the 
bank  men  "ought  to  know  him" — as,  indeed,  they 
had.  It  is  more  frequently  the  man  Avliose  business 
Is  questionable  who  boldly  proceeds  until  his  mis- 
sion is  inquired  into.  The  teller  will  invariably 
require  of  one  presenting  a  check  for  i)ayment  that 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  113 

he  be  identified,  and  yet,  while  he  is  in  the  very 
act  of  so  doing,  a  thief  may  pass  him  by  and  pro- 
ceed to  the  inner  offices  or  vicinity  of  the  vault 
without  attracting  attention  or  receiving  any  scru- 
tiny because  it  is  assumed  that  none  but  a  rightly- 
privileged  character  would  dare  to  take  such  lib- 
erties. With  a  view  to  investigating  the  state  of 
affairs  in  this  regard,  the  editor  of  this  volume, 
in  company  with  the  former  bank  sneak  who  has- 
furnished  data  and  information  for  this  work,  re- 
cently visited  a  number  of  Chicago  banks.  It  was 
pointed  out  to-  him,  by  this  man  of  experience,  how 
employees  (supposedly  so)  went  to  and  fro,  in  and 
out,  all  but  unheeded.  It  is  quite  probaljle  that  a 
faltering  step  or  an  air  of  uncertainty  or  appre- 
hension might  have  attracted  a  dozen  pairs  of  eyes. 
But  the  bank  sneak  does  not  move  with  hesitating 
step,  and  again  we  assert  that  it  is  amazing  how 
much  may  be  accomplished  l^y  assuming  the  "be- 
long there  manner."  Perhai)s  the  gist  of  it  all  is 
that  there  is  a  great  difference  between  the  plausible 
explanation  and  the  well  substantiated  excuse. 

"But,"  you  protest,  "a  man  can  not  count  out 
money  or  attend  to  the  other  difficult  duties  of  bank 
clerkship  and  do  general  detective  duty  at  the  same 
time."  Very  true,  yet  if  the  entire  force  were  awak- 
ened to  the  advantage  of  keeping  track,  in  a  gen- 
eral way,  of  what  is  going  on  and  who  are  about 
it,  there  is  a  i:easonable  likelihood  that  someone's 
eyes  might  be  turned  the  right  way  at  the  needed 


114  Hovj  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

instant.  By  way  of  illustration,  and  citing  a  case 
referred  to  in  the  last  chapter,  the  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  San  Francisco,  was  not  too 
busy  to  take  notice  of,  and  speculate  upon,  the 
uncommonly  fashionable  attire  of  the  "porter"  who, 
with  the  utmost  assumption  of  a  right  so  to  do,  was 
carrying  out  a  sack  of  gold. 

Perhaps  some  reader  wishes  to  reply  that  it  falls 
within  the  province,  and  is  the  function  of  those 
detectives  detailed  for  this  work,  to  take  care  of 
all  such  matters.  By  way  of  answer,  let  us  draw  a 
comparison.  Suppose  that  the  police  force  of  our 
cities  were  in  no  w^ay  co-operated  with  by  the  other 
honest  men  of  the  populace ;  suppose  that,  instead 
of  occasional  assistance  and  a  useful  "tip,"  they 
were  to  encounter  absolute  indifference.  How  dis- 
astrous would  be  the  result. 

In  relation  to  the  matter  of  keeping  an  eye  out 
for  intruders  of  criminal  intention,  it  may  be  well 
to  recall  a  remark,  previously  made,  to  the  effect 
that  many  bank  men  who  conscientiously  believe 
that  they  are  on  the  watch  for  thieves,  have  in 
reality  fallen  into  the  fatal  habit  of  looking  for 
the  man  who  acts  like  a  thief.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  expert  crook  who  operates  upon  banks,  not  only 
acquires  the  manner  of  the  honest  m^an  of  business, 
but  in  many  instances  he  studies  to  make  his  per- 
sonal appearance  accord  with  one's  common  con- 
ception of  what  denotes  solidity  of  character.  Per- 
haps  he   effects   an    old-fashioned   arrangement   of 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  115 

beard  or  by  some  trick  of  attire  succeeds  in  con- 
veying an  impression  of  the  ''plain,  honest  man." 

Another  point  worthy  of  attention  by  bank  men 
touches  upon  the  psychological  result  of  constantly 
handling  currency  in  immense  sums.  Something  of 
this  may  be  illustrated  by  a  story  Avhich  just  noAV 
comes  to  mind. 

A  certain  bank  man  was  on  his  way  to  the  vault, 
carrying  on  his  arm  several  bundles  of  banknotes. 
So  nmch  money  did  he  have  just  then  in  his  pos- 
session that  his  l)urden  reached  almost  from  his 
hand  to  his  chin.  On  the  way,  the  bank  man 
stopped  an  official  in  order  that  he  might  ask  the 
latter  to, advance  two  dollars  on.  his  next  week's 
salary.  Something  in  the  situation  struck  the  offi- 
cial as  being  incongruous  and  he  showed  his  amuse- 
ment accordingly.  Now  the  point  which  makes 
this  instance  applicable  to  our  subject  is  this :  the 
bank  man  was  wholly  unable  to  make  out  the  occa- 
sion for  the  other's  laughter,  because,  to  him,  the 
burden  on  his  arm  represented  only  so  much  paper. 
In  a  sense,  familiarity  had  bred  contempt.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  official,  in  his  higher  capacity,  real- 
ized something  of  the  real  significance  of  what  the 
bank  man,  by  reason  of  daily  handling,  had  come 
to  regard  only  as  goods  of  a  certain  bulk. 

The  effect  of  constantly  handling  large  amounts 
of  currency  without  ever  having  an  opportunity  to 
realize  its  great  i)urchasing  power,  is  most  commonly 
shown  in  the   case   of  messengers  from  banks  and 


116  Iloir  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

busiiies:;  houses.  Such  people  often  make  a  trip 
through  the  city,  carrying  a  package  containing 
thousands  of  dollars.  While  thus  charged  it  is  not 
at  all  uncommon  for  them  to  stop  to  attend  to 
errands  of  minor  importance.  During  the  trans- 
action of  this  less  important  business,  the  package 
of  great  value  may  carelessly  be  laid  upon  a  counter 
or  desk.  It  is  then  that  the  sneak,  who  has  been  in 
pursuit,  finds  his  opportunity  for  "switching"  the 
"ringer''  that  he  has  hastily  fashioned  to  resemble 
the  genuine  bundle  in  appearance.  In  this  regard, 
it  may  be  advised  that  the  messenger  avoid  carrying 
the  money  in  a  paper  wrapped  package,  so  easily  du- 
plicated. Indeed,  it  would  seem  wise  to  use  for  the 
purpose  a  satchel  of  odd,  or  at  least  not  too  com- 
mon, design.  This  subject  reminds  us  of  a  plan 
employed  by  a  Washington  bank  with  the  direct  ob- 
ject of  lessening  the  danger  of  "switching"  a 
"ringer"  or  counterfeit  bundle.  In  the  lobby  of  this 
bank  a  table  was  placed  and  provided  with  paper 
and  string  of  a  pattern  and  color  not  used  by  any 
other  concern  and  unobtainable  elsewhere.  Patrons 
going  out  with  money  were  cautioned  to  take  time  to 
wrap  up  their  packages  at  this  table,  iLsing  the 
material  supplied  for  the  purpose  and  especially 
designed  with  a  view  to  the  contravention  of  a  well- 
known  trick  of  thieves.  But,  like  many  other  pre- 
cautions, this  expedient  halted  just  short  of  com- 
l)letion.  No  close  inspection  Avas  made  of  those  who 
availed   themselves   of   the   accommodation.      As   a 


11  uw   t/te  Bank  Sneak    Works  117 

result,  tliievcri  were  a.-^.sisted  in  their  work,  rather 
than  baffled,  for  it  was  only  necessary  that  they 
should  provide  themselves  with  material  from  that 
same  table.  Indeed,  it  may  have  been  possible, 
in  some  instances,  for  sneaks  to  stand  close  beside 
their  prospective  victims  and  follow  their  every  move 
in  the  manufacture  of  a  ''dummy." 

Another  ])rofitable  held  of  operation  is  often 
opened  to  the  thief  at  the  receiving  teller's  window; 
it  is  connnon  for  a  patron  to  lay  down  a  bank  book 
containing  a  numl)er  of  bills,  at  the  moment  of  his 
arrival,  after  which  he  awaits  the  attention  of  the 
man  within  the  cage,  who  may  chance  to  be  en- 
gaged for  some  little  time  with  other  business.  It 
might  accurately  be  stated  that  it  is  quite  unusual, 
on  such  occasions,  for  either  the  patron  or  the  bank 
man  to  keep  his  eyes  riveted  upon  the  book  and  its 
contents.  In  order  to  show  how  a  bank  sneak  may 
operate  at  such  a  time,  we  will  suppose  an  instance, 
which  in  all  salient  points,  closely  corresponds  with 
a  job  that  was  actually  done  in  a  prominent  bank  of 
Chicago.  Patron,  coming  at  the  end  of  a  line  of 
other  customers,  lays  his  book  and  money  on  the 
shelf  just  in  the  window.  Teller  is  occupied  for  the 
moment  in  other  work  within  the  cage.  Just  then 
Stall  and  Sneak  close  in  on  the  game.  Stall  slaps 
Patron  familiarly  on  the  shoulder,  and  starting 
aAvay,  looks  back  and  calls  out  to  Patron,  All  right, 
old  man,  I'll  wait  for  you  outside."  Patron  is  puz- 
zled as  to  who  this  "acquaintance"  may  be  and  in 


118  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

his  wonderment  turns  squarely  away  from  the  win- 
dow. Just  then  Sneak,  deftly  possesses  himself 
of  the  book  and  departs.  Patron,  turning  again  to 
the  window,  notices  that  his  book  is  no  longer  there 
Ijut  takes  it  for  granted  that  it  has  been  taken  away 
by  Teller.  Ultimately,  an  argument  ensues  between 
Patron  and  Teller,  during  which  precioiLS  interval, 
Sneak  has  rejoined  Stall  and  both  have  gone  to  seek 
other  fields.  There  have  been  instances  where  both 
the  patron  and  the  teller  were  so  blinded  as  to  the 
real  cause  of  the  book's  disappearance  that  a  heated 
argmnent  between  the  two  has  been  followed  by 
the  patron  threatening  to  sue  the  bank  for  recovery. 
In  the  course  of  the  narrative  in  preceding  chap- 
ters, mention  has  been  made,  from  time  to  tin  e,  of 
certain  "stock  tricks"  employed  l)y  bank  thieves 
in  the  furtherance  of  their  designs.  To  recount 
some  of  these,  let  us  first  call  attention — particularly 
the  attention  of  teller  and  cashier — to  the  old  game 
of  paying  for  a  purchase  with  silver  of  small  and 
varying  denominations,  in  the  performance  -of  which 
trick  it  is  also  commonly  the  case  that  twenty-five 
or  fifty  cents  is  withheld  in  order  that  it  may  be 
made  necessary  to  count  the  money  over  two  or 
three  times  before  the  full  amount  is  supplied. 
When  such  an  occurrence  takes  place,  it  is  a  pretty 
safe  guess  that  some  kind  of  crooked  work  is  going 
on  nearby  and  that  the  "purchaser"'  is,  in  reality, 
a  "stall"  who  is  employing  this  ruse  to  engage  the 
bank  man's  attention  while  other  members  of  the 


Hoiv  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  119 

"mob"  are  left  unmolested  in  their  work.  (See 
account  of  San  Jose  affair.)  Another  "stock  trick" 
of  these  "stalls/'  or  confederates  of  the  sneak,  is 
the  habit  of  nervously  tapping  with  an  umbrella 
handle,  or  other  small  metal  article,  in  order  that  this 
rapping  may  seem  to  account  for  any  sound  inad- 
vertently made  by  another  thief  while  in  the  act 
of  doing  his  work.  Also  the  suddenly  inter- 
posed presence  of  a  stranger  with  a  widely  extended 
newspaper  should  be  taken  as  warning  that  it  is 
wise  to  step  Avhere  one  may  see  what  is  going  on  in 
that  portion  of  the  room  otherwise  hidden  from 
view.  In  more  recent  years  a  device  has  come  into 
vogue  among  bank  sneaks,  designed  to  facilitate  the 
work  of  making  a  "reach"  through  a  cage  window. 
This  contrivance,  made  in  the  shape  of  a  cane,  or 
rather  concealed  within  one,  consists  of  two  or  three 
pieces  of  wire  arranged  parallel  and  close  together, 
fastened  together  at  one  end  and  capable  of  being 
distended  at  the  other  when  it  is  desired  to  clutch 
a  bundle  of  bills.  These  wires  are  so  arranged  that 
they  suddenly  may  be  thrust  out  from  the  end  of 
the  stick,  much  as  is  done  in  a  sword  cane.  A 
similar,  but  smaller,  device  is  sometimes  concealed 
in  the  sleeve. 

Leaving  the  subject  of  mechanical  devices  em- 
ployed by  sneaks,  let  us  consider  a  few  simple  con- 
trivances which  might  be,  and  in  some  cases  are, 
employed  by  banks  to  make  more  difficult  the  work 
of  thieves.     It  already  has  been  recorded  how  "The 


120  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

Swindleiy"  when  in  the  act  of  entering  a  vault, 
stepped  upon  an  innocent  looking  rubber  mat 
spread  before  the  door  and  so  fitted  in  connection 
with  an  electric  apparatus  that  the  pressure  of  a 
foot  ui^on  it  resulted  in  an  alarm  being  sounded  by 
a  bell.  In  a  recent  conversation  regarding  the  ad- 
visability of  employing  such  a  device,  it  was  sug- 
gested to  the  author  Ijy  a  i)roniinent  bank  otHcial 
that,  since  this  alarm  necessarily  would  l)e  sounded 
whenever  anyone  entered  the  vault,  be  he  honestly 
inclined  or  otiierwise,  employees  of  the  place  would 
soon  become  so  accustomed  to  the  sound  of  bell 
or  buzzer  that  no  attention  would  be  given.  This, 
indeed,  might  prove  to  be  the  case  were  a  constant 
running  in  and  out  permitted,  but  the  objection 
raised  calls  to  our  mind  tne  question  whetlier  it 
is  needful  that  a  great  many  trips  be  made  to  the 
vault. 

In  advising  that  pains  of  glass  be  placed  behind 
the  iron  scroll  work  of  a  cage,  we  are  by  no  means 
unaware  that  this  practice  is  generally  employed, 
yet  there  are  still  many  cases  where  it  is  not.  It 
Avould  seem  to  be  unnecessary  to  explain  why  such 
a  precaution  is  e^fsential.  It  is  also  the  case  that 
many  bank  cages  are  so  fitted  with  mirrors  that  the 
employee  whose  duties  call  for  his  presence  therein 
is  able  at  any  time  to  see  a  reflection  of  what  is 
transpiring  behind  his  back.  Without  attempting 
a  detailed  descri])tion  of  how  such  mirrors  should 
be  arranged  we  will  merely  suggest  that  a  mirror, 


How  the  Bank  Sneah   Works  121 

perhaps  a  foot  in  width  and  pkiced  at  the  height 
of  a  man's  eyes  might  be  extended  entirely  around 
the  inner  side  of  the  iron  net  work  enclosing  the 
cage.  In  this  connection  it  is  recalled  how,  in  a 
certain  bank  of  East  Liberty,  Pa.,  an  elaboration  of 
this  idea  made  it  possible  for  the  cashier  by  means 
of  an  arrangement  of  mirrors  reflecting  from  one  to 
another,  to  stand  at  his  window  and,  at  the  same 
time  be  aAvare  of  what  was  occurring  near  the  vault, 
some  distance  behind  him.  A  sneak  who  attempted 
to  enter  that  vault  while  his  "stall"  engaged  the 
cashier  in  a  transaction  at  the  window,  was  detected 
in  the  act  by  means  of  the  mirrors  mentioned,  and 
escaped  only  by  fleetness  of  foot  and  the  interven- 
tion of  the  "stall." 

In  speaking  of  mechanical  devices  employed  by 
thieves,  mention  was  made  of  tongs  encased  in  a 
w^alking  stick.  In  respect  to  the  "reach"  work  for 
which  this  appliance  is  intended,  it  is  the  arrange- 
ment in  some  banks  to  have  the  iron  work  enclos- 
ing the  cages  extended  in  a  few  inches  at  the  win- 
dow. This  is  done  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  an 
arm  thrust  therein  reaching  shelves  at  the  side.  A 
still  further  extension  of  this  nature,  so  arranged 
as  not  to  interfere  with  the  teller's  work,  might 
make  difficult  the  use  of  the  specially  devised  cane 
or  tongs  which  have  been  described. 

Mention  of  how  bank  books,  containing  money 
for  deposit,  are  sometimes  stolen  at  the  window, 
already  may  have  suggested  to  the  reader  how^,  in 


122  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

great  measure,  the  danger  of  such  losses  could  be 
obviated  were  suitable  signs  placed  near  the  teller's 
window,  so  worded  as  to  caution  patrons  against 
carelessly  leaving  their  money  unprotected  by  hand 
or  gaze.  These  signs  should  be  sufficiently  large 
readily  to  attract  attention.  The  author  has  visited 
but  one  bank  where  this  precaution  was  taken,  the 
Euclid  Avenue  Bank  of  Cleveland,  where  frequent 
thefts  of  this  nature  had  suggested  the  idea  to  the 
management. 

Inasmuch  as  the  work  of  the  bank  sneak  fre- 
quently calls  for  his  opening  a  locked  office  door, 
attention  is  here  called  to  the  fact  that  the  ordinary 
spring  lock  provided  with  a  bevel  catch  is  easily 
opened  by  merely  inserting  a  thin  knife  blade  in 
the  crack  between  door  and  casing  and  working 
back  the  catch.  A  slightly  protiiiding  flange, 
fastened  to  the  casing  and  covering  the  crack  at  this 
point  might  at  least  put  the  thief  to  more  trouble 
and  delay  his  operations. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  few  hints  and  sug- 
gestions offered  in  this  chapter  will  cover  the  entire 
ground  or  indicate  the  limit  of  ingenuity  in  provid- 
ing against  the  perpetration  of  bank  thievery.  It  has 
been  intended  only  to  show  how  a  little  thought 
taken  in  anticipation  of  the  sneak's  coming  and  some 
simple  arrangements  as  to  fittings  and  appliances 
might  possibly  save  thousands  of  dollars  to  its  right- 
ful ownei^  or  those  who  arc  authorized  in  the 
handling.  If  the  bank  man  who  has  read  this 
volume  feels  that  he  has  thereby  gained  a  better 


HoiD  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  123 

uiiderstaiidiiig  of  what  he  may  expect  to  contend 
against  in  the  way  of  criminal  cleverness,  and  if  he 
feels  that  this  added  understanding  will  make  him 
better  able  to  aid  in  the  work  of  driving  the  bank 
sneak  out  of  business  by  closing  to  the  latter  the  door 
of  opportunity,  our  object  shall  have  been  achieved. 


THE  END 


124  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Wor 


APPENDIX. 

LOCKED    UP THE    AFTERMATH. 

The  penitentiary  stands 'aij  a  single  institution, 
builded  and  manned  with  officers  to  receive  and  hold 
in  confinement  convicted  felons  from  a  large  district. 
For  the  government  of  these  inmates  there  has  been 
devised  a  set  of  rules,  uniform  as  to  all  and  strictly 
enforced.  There  are  but  few  exceptions  occasioned 
by  allowance  for  individual  temperament.  The 
natural  tendency  in  such  a  place  must  inevitably 
come  to  be  a  submerging  of  the  individual.  Men 
are  taken  collectively.  The  lockstep  gang,  swinging 
across  the  prison  yard,  sinuously  conforming  to 
bends  in  the  path,  suggests,  in  itself  the  uniting  of 
many  men  into  an  uncanny  thing  of  animation. 
Thus  it  is  that,  in  a  purely  material  sense,  the  ex- 
perience of  one  is  the  experience  of  the  majority. 
Yet,  if  a  thousand  men,  discharged  from  the  same 
penitentiary  within  a  year,  each  were  to  write  a  book 
on  "life'behind  the  bars,"  a  surprising  variance  of 
imj^ressions  would  be  revealed.  As  the  gloom  of  night 
closes  down  on  the  great,  gray  walled  institution, 
how  differentiated  in  character  has  been  the 
punishment  which  this  unit  of  time  brought  to 
each  convict.  Picture  a  company  of  fifty  men 
tramping  down  the  cell  house  gallery.  Fifty  hands 
suddenly  are  thrust  out  to  grasp  the  cell  doors,  so 
simultaneously  that  it  might  appear  the  actuating 


How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works  125 

imj^uLse  had  come  from  a  .single  mind.  The  great 
doors  open  swiftly  and  again  close  in  as  perfect 
nnison.  But  now,  t^  use  the  comparison,  the  mass 
is  disintegiated.  If  the  convict  may  be  said  to 
have  an  individual  home,  it  is  here — a  home  of 
cramped  space,  bare  interior,  and  air  that  is  none 
two  sweet  to  the  nostrils;  it  is  a  place  where  silence 
l^ervades'  except  for  the  various  sounds  occasioned  by 
many  men  endeavoring  to  move  in  relaxation  within 
their  narrow  confines.  Walk  down  the  corridor  or 
gallery  upon  which  the  cells  are  ranged,  and  from 
door  to  door  one's  gaze  will  encounter  instances  of 
diversified  temperament  or  experience.  Perhaps  one 
has  thrown  himself  upon  his  narrow^  bunk,  and  with 
the  face  of  a  stoic,  is  staring  fixedly  at  the  ceiling; 
he  has  mastered  the  art  of  submission  and  endurance. 
But  a  glance  in  the  next  cell  reveals  a  man  who  has 
found  awaiting  him  that  boon  to  the  exile,  a  letter 
from  home.  We  would  not  attempt  describing  what 
may  be  seen  written  upon  the  countenance  of  such 
a  man,  in  such  a  place,  on  such  an  occasion.  Recall 
the  passions  and  impulses,  regrets,  bitterness  and 
affections  of  the  past;  imagine  the  hopes  and  fears 
for  the  future;  consider  the  weirdly  intermingled 
gloom  and  cheer  of  the  moment. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  these  few  pages  to  do 
more  than  touch  lightly  upon  some  of  the  phases  and 
aspects  of  prison  life.  Indeed,  to  treat  upon  the 
subject  comprehensively  would  require  volumes 
since  it  would  be  necessary  to  allow  for  considerable 


126  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

variaucG  in  the  methods  employed  m  the  several 
institutions  of  this  kind  throughout  our  country. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  sentiment  of  a  particular 
section  regarding  measures  for  reformation  and 
punishment,  and  the  manifestation  of  this  sentiment 
in  the  management  of  the  local  prison,  this  much  is 
sure — the  simple  fact  of  imprisonment  in  itself  is  the 
worst  feature  of  the  convict's  punishment.  It  is  in- 
evitable, far  reaching  and  penetrating  in  its  signifi- 
cance. At  the  hour  of  a  man's  conviction  for  crime, 
regardless  of  circumstances  affecting  his  innocence 
or  guilt,  a  sharp  line  is  drawn  between  him  and  the 
world  of  the  uncondemned.  The  separation  is  ab- 
solute and  in  this  separation  the  convict  is  also  forced 
to  part  from  his  dignity  and  right  to  command 
consideration  strictly  as  an  individual.  In  a  sense 
he  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  an  undesirable  object 
which  perforce  must  be  preserved,  and  which  in  con- 
sequence, is  supported  by  the  community  in  a  spirit 
of  more  or  less  irritation.  A  disillusionment,  an 
unveiling  of  insurmountable  facts,  is  apt  to  be  in 
store  for  the  man  who  feels  that  the  prison  gate  may 
some  day  close  upon  him  and  who  yet  cherishes  the 
foolish  idea  that  he  can  be  a  convict  and  keep  his 
footmg  on  the  same  social  plane  as  those  who  still 
possess  their  rights  of  liberty. 

The  above  mention  of  social  footing  calls  to  mind 
an  instance  w^here  the  line  of  separation  was  other 
than  purely  imaginary.  A  sensational  trial  in  tht 
Criminal  Court  at  Chicago  culminated  in  a  man'? 
conviction  on  a  charge  of  wife  murder.    The  nature 


Holu  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  127 

of  the  homicide,  as  alleged  by  the  prosecution,  was 
singularly  horrible,  and  wide  spread  attention  to  the 
hearing  of  the  case  was  attracted  through  the  news- 
papers which  felt  constrained  to  satisfy  the  curiosity 
of  the  more  morbidly  inclined  among  their  readers. 
In  the  course  of  time,  however,  this  man  of  much 
notoriety  passed  through  the  gate  of  the  Joliet  peni- 
tentiary, and  from  being  in  the  "public  eye"  became 
just  one  of  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  convicts  and 
no  different  in  any  important  respect  from  any  of 
the  others.  This  man  was  received  in  the  evening, 
and  as  he  passed  through  the  great  steel  door  and 
into  the  prison's  interior,  he  was  accompanied  by  aii 
escort  of  newspaper  men,  whose  entry  to  the  yard  was 
allowed  by  special  permit.  Now  while  en  route  from 
Chicago,  these  reporters,  being  actuated  by  simple 
kindliness  for  the  man  so  soon  to  bid  good  bye  to  the 
world  of  freedom,  however  much  he  deserved  his  im- 
prisonment, had  maintained  toward  the  prisoner 
whom  they  accompained  a  certain  attitude  of  good 
fellowship  and  had  held  in  restraint  any  word  or  act 
Avhich  might  seem  to  differentiate  as  to  social  stand- 
ing or  moral  status.  As  the  little  company,  in  charge 
of  the  nighi  captain,  entered  the  prison  yard  and 
moved  along  a  sidewalk  toward  a  building  where 
newly  arrived  prisoners  were  commonly  housed  for 
the  first  night,  the  man,  whose  life  must  be  spent 
within  those  walls,  mingled,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
with  his  companions  of  the  last  few  hours.  Just 
then,  however,  a  sharp  order  from  the  officer  struck 
like  a  cleaver  between  the  one  who  existed  under  the 


128  How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

law's  ban  and  those  whom  it  accorded  the  right  to 
respect  and  liberty.  For  an  instant  the  prisoner  was 
bewildered  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  he  noticed 
that  close  beside  and  parallel  with  the  walk  on  which 
they  trod,  was  another  and  much  narrower  stretch  of 
flagging,  and  it  dawned  upon  his  intelligence  that 
there,  as  a  convict,  he  must  walk  in  order  that  there 
be  visible  evidence  of  the  distinction  existing  between 
him  and  those  legally  entitled  to  recognition  as  rep- 
utable citizens. 

In  mentioning  the  above  incident,  it  must  be 
kept  in  mind  that  we  have  no  purpose  of  criticizing 
or  questioning  the  necessity  of  such  regulations, 
or  of  exciting  unmerited  sympathy.  The  instance 
is  cited  as  one  well  suited  to  indicate  the  thousand 
and  one  bitter  humiliations  which,  from  week  to 
week,  strike  at  the  citadel  of  the  convict's  self-esteem. 
As  to  the  particular  man  in  question,  it  may  aid 
the  conjecture  as  to  what  effect  these  manifold  deg- 
radations had  in  dulling  his  spirit  and  destroying 
hope,  when  we  add  that,  within  a  year  or  two,  he 
took  his  own  life  in  the  solitude  of  his  cell. 

Of  a  similar  nature  to  the  incident  above  related, 
is  one  in  the  recollection  of  the  man  upon  whose 
experience  the  contents  of  this  book  are  based.  In 
Ins  case  there  was  no  failure  to  comprehend  the 
rigidity  and  inflexibility  of  prison  rules,  but  the 
circumstances  were  such  that,  for  the  time  being, 
he  had  forgotten  how  ever  present  must  be  the  evi- 
dence of  his  social  inferiority.     He  had  mastered 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  129 

the  trade  of  stone  mason  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
management  of  the  state  penal  institutions  came  to 
regard  him  as  an  expert  of  more  than  ordinary 
usefulness.  As  a  result,  it  was  found  expedient  to 
take  him  from  one  penitentiary  to  another,  in  order 
that  he  might  direct  certain  work  at  the  latter  place. 
For  his  apparel  during  the  trip  he  was  provided 
with  a  suit  of  civilian's  clothing.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  an  officer  whose  knowledge  of,  and  inter- 
est in,  the  work  was  such  that  conversation  and 
casual  relations  between  the  two  came  to  be  what 
one  might  expect  to  exist  between  any  two  master 
mechanics.  On  arrival  at  their  destination,  they 
were  met  by  an  official  who  ai  once  engaged  his 
brother  officer  in  conversation  concerning  the  object 
of  the  trip.  The  prisoner,  albeit  he  was  ever  con- 
scious of  the  personal  advantage  which  lay  in  being 
regarded  a  "good  convict,"  on  this  occasion  mo- 
mentarily forgot  to  recognize  the  gulf  existing  be- 
tween him  and  his  companions.  Perhaps  his  short- 
time  enjoyment  of  the  comfort  of  a  free  man's 
habiliment  had  produced  a  state  of  mind  which 
beguiled  him  into  thinking  that  he  had  a  right  at 
the  time  to  speak  to  any  other  on  a  subject  in  which 
both  had  a  common  interest.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he 
remained  standing  in  the  trio  and  volunteered  a 
remark  or  two  in  the  conversation  which  had  ensued 
upon  the  meeting.  But  the  assumption  of  such  a 
liberty  was  destined  to  be  short-lived,  for  a  sharp 
order  from  the  official  of  the  institution  at  which 


130  How  the  Bank  Sneak   Works 

he  had  just  arrived,  brouj^ht  him  quickly  to  his 
senses  and,  acting  upon  its  purport,  he  stepped 
across  the  room  and  took  his  position  with  face 
turned  to  the  wall  and  arms  folded. 

In  the  narration  of  these  two  comparative!}^ 
trifling  incidents,  it  can  have  been  possible  only  to 
give  a  faint  idea  of  how  one  may  expect  to  sacrifice 
his  dignity  and  individuality  if  the  courts  find  oc- 
casion to  classify  him  as  a  "menfice  to  public  safety." 

So  far,  mention  has  been  made  only  of  what  the 
"good  convict"  is  required  to  endure.  It  would  not 
be  in  the  natural  order  of  things  that  a  mortal  of 
ordinary  i^ropensities  could  avoid  occasional  infrac- 
tion of  a  rigid  code  of  rules.  When  the  convict  is 
first  called  to  answer  for  such  infraction  it  is  quite 
likely  that  an  experience  is  in  store  for  him  w^hich 
marks  the  difference  between  a  trial  for  alleged 
felony  in  a  court  of  law  and  his  hearing  on  a  charge 
of  minor  misdemeanor  in  the  office  of  a  deputy 
warden.  In  the  former  case,  it  is  the  assumption  of 
the  law  that  he  is  innocent  until  the  contrar}"  is 
shown  Ijy  conclusive  evidence.  The  burden  of  proof 
rests  upon  the  prosecution.  In  the  latter  case,  the 
probal)ility  of  his  guilt  is  accepted  unless,  from  his 
disadvantageous  position,  he  is  so  fortunate  as  to 
show  an  error  in  the  report  made  against  him.  To 
be  sure,  the  problems  of  maintaining  discipline  in 
such  a  place  are  complex.  And  it  may  not  be  taken 
as  a  reflection  upon  prison  management  when  we  say 
that  (jfttimes  a  convict  of  ridit  intention  is  called 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Wovk^  131 

upon  to  endure  severe  punishment  and  degradation. 

As  regards  methods  of  punishment  in  ])enal  insti- 
tutions, it  is  wise,  perhaps,  to  say  Httle.  While,  as 
to  these,  there  are  some  points  in  connnon  prac- 
tice among  all  such  places  of  confinement,  it  is  true, 
nevertheless,  that  there  is  some  considerable  divers- 
ity as  to  means  and  severity.  .  It  is  also  the  case 
that  the  subject  falls  within  the"  province  of  penal 
science,  which,  in  the  early  years  of  this  century, 
is  commanding  increased  interest  among  the  men 
who  are  destined  to  outline  and  put  into  force,  poli- 
cies for  the  future. 

It  will  have  been  observed  that,  throughout  all 
the  foregoing,  we  have  endeavored  to  touch  only 
upon  what  may  befall  the  convict  who  is  conscien- 
tiously desirous  of  conforming  with  the  rules.  The 
fate  of  the  insubordinate  one  may  easily  be  im- 
agined, and  since  it  is  a  condition  of  his  own  mak- 
ing, not  a  matter  for  present  consideration.  How- 
ever, it  is  a  p^iradoxical  fact  that  the  convict  who, 
morally  considered,  is  the  worst  man,  is  apt  to  get 
the.  best  of  it  wdiile  serving  his  sentence.  The 
T'eason  for  this  is  natural  and  perhaps  unavoidable. 
'I'hrough  past  experience  (supj^osing  such  convict 
to  be  a  "repeater")  lie  has  learned  that  his  own 
interests  are  best  served  l)y  catering  to  every  wdsh  of 
the  officers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  man  whose 
past  life  has  afforded  him  no  information  regard- 
ing this  phase  of  a  criminal  career,  feels  that  he  is 
relinquishing  a  just  right  when  he  submits  to  such 


132  Hoio  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

close  restriction,  and  tries  to  ''beat"  the  rules,  one 
by  one,  until  hard  experience  has  convinced  him 
how  ineffectual  is  the  attempt. 

As  regards  the  food  which  convicts  receive,  it  is 
impossible  to  make  a  broad  statement  covering  con- 
ditions as  they  exist  in  various  penitentiaries.  In 
many  cases  the  food  may  be  as  good  as  resources 
will  permit.  Suffice  it  to  say,  however,  that  recol- 
lections, born  of  forced  detainment  in  several  prisons, 
are  in  themselves  sufficient  to  disturb  the  digestive 
peace.  A  practice  which  obtained  as  late  as  1905, 
in  one  of  our  progressive  states  is  here  described. 
Whether  or  not  it  has  since  been  altered,  we  have 
no  information.  In  the  penitentiary  to  which  ref- 
erence is  made,  "supper"  is  served  from  wooden  tables 
set  in  an  open  alley  at  the  rear  of  the  kitchen. 
The  evening  meal  after  a  day  at  contract  labor  con- 
sists principally  of  "coffee"  or  tea  (optional  but 
scarcely  distinguishable)  and  as  many  slices  of  bread 
as  are  desired  (but  they  must  be  eaten).  To  further 
appease  the  appetite  of  the  weary  man  there  may 
be  added  a  slice  of  two  of  bologna  or  cheese.  This 
meal  is  picked  up  by  the  convict  as- he  passes  in 
line.  He  is  scarcely  allowed  to  come  to  a  pause 
in  the  dingy  coffee-slopped  passageway  and  as  soon 
as  he  rounds  the  corner  of  the  kitchen,  he  must 
})lace  one  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  man  next  in 
line  and  resume  the  lockstep.  The  distance  from 
here  to  the  cell  house  door  is  as  long  as  many  a 
city  block  and  is  entirely  out  of  doors.     The  coffee 


How  the  Bank  Sneak  Works  133 

unavoidably  slopped,  out  of  the  tins  of  several  hun- 
dred men  soon  results  in  a  slippery  footing,  partic- 
ularly in  winter,  for  no  alteration  in  the  arrange- 
ment is  made  to  conform  with  extremes  of  weather. 
Indeed,  when  the  mercury  has  dropped  below  zero 
and  at  a  season  when  darkness  comes  early,  the 
men  in  gangs  are  fairly  obliged  to  skate  over  sheets 
of  ice  and  trust  to  luck  to  get  the  homely  meal  from 
serving  table  to  cell,  arriving  at  which  it  is  so  cold 
as  to  be  nearly  unpalatable.  If  the  outside  passage 
is  not  enough  to  test  the  convict's  agility  and  bal- 
ancing accomplishments,  it  may  happen  that  his 
cell  is  so  located  that  it  will  be  necessary  for  him 
to  march  an  equal  distance  on  the  cell  house  flag- 
ging and  then  climb  narrow  winding  stairs  to  the 
third  range  above  the  ground  tier. 

We  realize  that  we  canno.t,  in  this  limited  space, 
give  any  adequate  portrayal  of  the  rigors,  discom- 
forts, privations  and  humiliations  of  prison  life. 
One  might  say  much  of  the  misery  that  is  entailed 
by  the  forfeiture  of  privacy,  being  day  and  night 
under  the  close  surveillance  and  repeated  scrutiny 
of  guards  and  officers.  The  convict  who  writes  a 
letter,  be  it  to  wife  or  mother  or  sister  or  sweet- 
heart, knows  it  must  be  read  by  an  officer  before  it 
is  posted.  In  like  manner,  the  tenderest  love  mes- 
sages, that  one  would  fain  conceal  in  the  inmost 
recesses  of  his  heart,  have  been  scanned  (perhaps 
cynically)  by  unsympathetic  eyes  before  they  reach 
those  for  whom  they  were  intended. 


134  Bow  the  Bank  Sneak  Works 

It  is  not  believed  that,  among  1)ank  men  to  whom 
this  work  is  specially  addressed,  there  will  be  any 
to  whom  this  appendix  is  needed  as  a  w^arning,  but 
since  there  is  a  possibility  that  the  volume  may 
reach  a  man  who  cherishes  a  Ijelicf  that  the  good 
things  in  life  may  best  be  attained  thi-ough  dishon- 
est means,  we  wish  to  make  a  statement  which  can- 
not be  controverted  in  the  light  of  experience.  Pro- 
fessional thieves,  be  they  ever  so  clever,  must  count 
upon  beating  the  average  if  they  spend  less  than 
three-fourths  of  their  time  in  prison.  Statistics 
indicate  that  habitual  criminals  spend  about  this 
])roportion  of  their  time  in  confinement.  It  is  prob- 
al)le  that  the  ratio  of  the  time  in  to  the  time  out 
will  become  still  more  unfavorable  to  the  criminal 
as  the  heads  of  police  and  detective  systems  discover 
further  means  of  keeping  watch  over  those  whose 
vocation  is  founded  upon  a  disregard  for  rightful 
ownership. 


